Bloody Secrets
by Moonlight-Ray0425
Summary: Touka is a bartender who knows all the secrets in the city thanks to her drunken customers, and Kaneki is an infamous mafia leader who needs her knowledge to get his work done. However, Touka is known for keeping secrets very well... This is a touken fanfic! It's an au that paa-kaa from tumblr has made, not me! This idea does not belong to me! Please enjoy!
1. Ignorance is Bliss

_**A/N:** Hello everyone! This is an au that I saw on Tumblr and it was very tempting to write this out and guess what I did?! I wrote it out. It was very fun writing the first chapter so please tell me if you are willing to read more! Please remember that this is not my idea nor is it my au! It belongs paa-kaa on tumblr! Please enjoy!_

There's a saying most would know but never understand.

There's a phrase that most would hear but never comprehend.

Perhaps it's because most would never be able to experience the full meaning of this phrase…

 _Ignorance is bliss._

To be blinded by a human being's natural innocence,

To be held in security by the protection of naivety,

To know nothing at all is better than to know everything.

Why?

Because once you rip away the purity that binds you to heaven,

Because once you tear away your golden chains and step into a world full of blood, full of darkness, and full of reality…

Then surely,

Surely, you will be hurt.

Surely, you will be scarred,

Surely, you will be drowning in your own screams of desperation, trying and trying to crawl your way out.

But once you enter an unknown world that's stained with screams of the unlucky,

Then you will never be the same.

And due to the cruel twist of fate or perhaps due to the unpredictable movements of circumstance, Touka Kirishima was thrust into this very world of blood.

Ah,

Ignorance truly is bliss.

* * *

Yes, Touka didn't become so immensely interested in the secrets of the world willingly.

Becoming a bartender at some shady looking bar that was located right at the center of the city was never her choice to make.

All her life, she never really did have a choice.

After the sudden death of her parents, Touka was forced to grow up faster than she was supposed to.

So, with desperate thoughts and complicated arrangements, she landed herself a job at this bar called Anteiku.

Touka knew fully well what sort of place this was.

It was a godforsaken, disgusting place that was always filled with gossip, rumors, cigarette smoke, and sometimes the echo of gunshots.

Everyone in the city knew that this little bar was hiding the most darkest and sensitive secrets in all of Japan.

Whispers about this place would drift along with the wind, rustling the curiosity of others, gently probing at their fears…

Yes, this was a rather nasty place.

So nasty that even the toughest police wouldn't dare to throw a glance at its direction.

So why would Touka Kirishima, a normal student, just trying to live her life as best as she could work here of all places?

A good question…

But the answer?

Touka would prefer to keep the answer to herself for a multiple of reasons.

And if one were to be perfectly honest, she was more than qualified for this specific job.

To work in a place like Anteiku, she would need the sharpest of intuition, she would require an eye that could detect danger, and ears that could pick up the faintest of murmurs, and, of course, she would need more than just luck…

But most of all, she would need lips that could seal all the secrets that she had gathered.

She would need to keep everything, all the information, all the knowledge, and all the whispers to herself.

If she were to let even a single thing escape from her memory to her tongue and out her mouth,

Then blood would be splattering the walls, staining the very life she had struggled to create.

Corpses might litter the path she had chosen to take,

Her hands might be grasping a gun that's aimed at the skull of her victim,

Touka Kirishima just might become a monster, a murderer, a beast…

All because she couldn't contain a simple little secret.

This is the responsibility as a bartender of Anteiku.

Even if,

Even if a mafia boss, rumored to have immeasurable strength with an endless amount of enemies, even if he had killed countless of men with his very hands, even if he had all the connections in the world,

Even if he had locked his gaze onto Touka, she was not allowed to utter a single drop of information.

Even if he was the infamous Centipede…

And Touka Kirishima is proud to say that she does her job very well.

* * *

"Touka," a voice sighed. "You're going to work this late again?"

A young girl in her twenties yawned quietly, her hazel eyelashes clumped together, refusing to let the dim light of the lamp leak through.

"It's really…really…late…" she continued, pausing to get in another yawn. "Like really late."

"I get it, Yoriko." Another voice snapped back softly. "But it's my job and I'll come back as fast as possible."

Yoriko didn't seem to believe her because Touka heard the gentle rustle of her blankets and the silent creak of her bed as her friend sat up on her sheets.

"You said that last time and you came home at five!" she whispered, exhaustion finally melting away with her frustration.

Touka gently pulled on her shoes before smoothing down her bartender uniform. Violet locks brushed against her cheeks as the autumn breeze wafted in through their slightly ajar window. With a sigh, Touka turned to glance at her roommate.

"I promise."

"Promise what?"

"I promise that I'll be back as fast as lightning."

Yoriko held onto her gaze before squeezing her pillow tightly in her arms.

"You better…" she mumbled, plopping back down sideways onto her mattress. "I'll be waiting."

Pulling on a sweater, Touka nodded in her friend's direction before grabbing her purse, keys, and phone.

"Goodnight." She said just below a whisper.

"Night."

* * *

For a bar, it wasn't particularly that noisy or crowded.

In fact, it had a very sullen sort of vibe to it.

Classical music danced faintly in the background while the hushed voices and secretive whispers drifted around like soft feathers. The stench of smoke clouded the room, acting as a screen for the dying light bulbs overhead. Chuckles and snickers dotted the atmosphere every now and then before being interrupted by a harsh cough. The low clinks of wine glass vibrated through the air as different parties made their toast in muffled cheers.

Perhaps the word 'elegance' best defines this specific mood.

No, perhaps the word 'dark' is better.

No…

A single word alone would not be enough to describe this bar known as Anteiku.

From experience, Touka had learned that this murky, revolting place could only hold such a quiet tone for a brief moment.

At a drop of a hat, this illusion of peace can be shattered along with the bottle of champagne and whiskey.

In a split second, the gentle chuckles and quiet smiles can be wiped away by the trigger of a gunshot.

In this bar, anything can happen.

Well, actually…

Maybe not _anything._

Half of Touka's guests were members of gangs, mafia, and important political figures.

If violence did break out and if someone were to die then it would be the same as declaring war.

"Give me the usual."

Touka didn't even have to look up to see who it was.

"Looking lovely as always." The man continued as she placed a small glass of wine in front of her guest. "The bartender outfit never fails to enlighten me."

"Save it." She sighed, resting her chin on her palm.

The young man chuckled before sliding the tip of his index finger on the rim of his cup. He wore a suit that was dyed with the crisp color of crimson with a necktie that resembled the night sky. His pants was similar to the deep, dull image of the ocean, and Touka couldn't help but stare as he adjusted his collar before brushing his lilac bangs to the side.

Truth be told, he was quite attractive.

Shaking her head, she quickly grabbed a stray rag and began to wipe the countertop out of sheer boredom.

"Oh, by the way," she suddenly started, her eyes narrowing at the stylish man in front of her. "I hate to make assumptions, but-"

"Yes, it was me."

A pause then another sigh, "Do you even know what I-"

"The murder that took place about a day ago?" he said softly, leaning over so only she could hear. "I'm sure you can keep a secret, am I correct?"

"Are you mocking me?"

"Hardly. Well anyway," he chuckled lightly. "What made you think it was me?"

"Only you would murder that guy in such a…creative way." She mumbled, tossing the dirty rag aside.

"Ah, you flatter me."

"Why did you do it?" she frowned, making sure her voice was down to a minimum.

"Why?" he repeated as if slightly surprised by her question. "That is classified information."

"You're going to tell me anyway, aren't you?"

"Ahhh, you know me too well." He winked, finishing his drink.

Touka said nothing as she watched her client exhale, letting his alcoholic breath softly crash against her.

Silence.

And then,

"Tsukiyama," she said. "I'm still waiting."

"Rather impatient, are we?" he smiled, running his fingers through his hair. "Fine, fine. I shall ease your curiosity."

Touka raised an eyebrow, obviously not amused by his endless teasing.

Tsukiyama was a dangerous man and she knew this very well.

Despite his charming looks and flashy attire, he was a very dangerous man.

Not many knew who he truly was, but Touka, thanks to the endless amount of rumors and facts that he told her himself, she knew exactly who he was.

And he was part of the mafia.

A mafia that everyone all across the city knew.

 _Aogiri._

That was the name…

A group that held the strongest of men and the sneakiest of women, a group that made it rain blood, a group filled with weapons and murderers…

It was a group that could bring death in a manner of minutes.

And their leader?

Touka knew his name but would never know how he looked like.

She knew all of his names actually:

 _Eyepatch, Centipede, and One-Eyed King._

And his actual name –

"Kaneki wanted him dead." Tsukiyama said almost happily, his fingers tugging at his necktie.

"What?"

"I'd rather not repeat it…just in case." He whispered, his eyes glancing around before resting them back on her face.

"Okay…" she blinked. "But why?"

"I don't know." He laughed, this time playing with the tip of his tie. "I just did what I was told. No questions asked."

"Of course…he is your boss after all."

"And I'll follow him to hell and back." He smirked, getting up from his seat. "Look at the time! Minutes and seconds just fly when you're talking with a beautiful woman." He chuckled, handing Touka the money. "Keep the change, it'll be your tip."

Rolling her eyes, Touka nodded her thanks.

"Oh and before I forget," Tsukiyama started, leaning over once more.

His lilac pupils clashed with Touka's darker ones as he held onto her gaze. The whispers and chuckles of others quietly faded into the background as he gently spoke with the utmost of care.

"I'd be careful if I were you," he said slowly. " _Everyone_ thirsts for the _juiciest_ of secrets…and you, Touka Kirishima, _know them all."_

And just like that, he took a step back, slightly bowed, then left with a quick spin on his heels.


	2. Annoying

"I kept my promise." Touka whispered, tapping a finger softly against the mahogany table. "I came home as fast as-"

"Touka," Yoriko mumbled, a small frown tugging at her features. "You came home at three…"

"Yes, but I left for work at one so I was only gone for two hours."

Pursing her lips and setting her cookbook down carefully, Yoriko eyed her friend suspiciously.

"Hmmm…" she paused then shook her head. "Whatever you say."

After a brief moment of silence, Yoriko continued to entertain herself with her story of delicacies.

They were sitting comfortably on plush cushioned chairs while the aroma of slightly roasted chestnuts swirled and spun through the air before colliding and morphing with the distant smell of ancient books. It would stream through Touka's lungs then rush out with each breath, scattering specks of dust from the battered piles of textbooks and papers. Large windows were only slightly ajar, letting the cooling breeze glide in then fade soon after. Soft coughs and gentle whispers coveted the silence as Touka rubbed her temples, trying her best not to lose concentration.

The library was the ideal place for a study session, but still she would never understand literature.

The assignment was to analyze the characters of this godforsaken book and dig a bit deeper into their personalities.

The whole point of this homework was to _understand_ these characters and to just _know_ what they felt about certain topics.

It sounded easy enough.

But for some reason, Touka was struggling.

It was difficult to understand, she couldn't _understand_ them. She couldn't understand _why_ they made such actions and _why_ they made such choices…

Why, why, why, why…?

Unraveling a character's personality and picking away at their weaknesses and strengths then observing their every thoughts and decisions, then finally drawing up conclusions from vague descriptions was just too complicated for Touka.

"Are you having trouble again?" Yoriko giggled, hazel eyelashes fluttering lightly as she tried to muffle her laugh behind the thick pages of her book. "You're not that great at reading are you, Touka?"

"I-I'm trying!" the other replied in a quiet yet harsh voice. "It's not that bad so-"

"That's why I'm telling you," her friend chuckled, leaning back on her chair and letting her tense muscles relax for a moment. "You have to get some extra help!"

Narrowing her eyes and tucking strands of violet behind her ear, Touka crossed her arms as if to prove a point.

"Oh come on, Touka." Yoriko urged with an encouraging smile. "You need this grade! I'm sure there are lots of people here who are willing to help you out."

"Like who?" she frowned before sighing. "Look, I appreciate the thought but I can do this myself."

Pouting, the hazel haired girl dropped her gaze before marking her page and closing it shut.

"You know there's a thing called 'extra help' for a reason." she said quietly, standing up from her chair and tucking the book safely in her bag. "Sometimes you can't do _everything_ by yourself."

"I know…"

Yoriko paused then reached over, ruffling her locks as she giggled at Touka's irritated expression.

"Please remember that I'm your friend and I'll always be supporting you, okay, Touka?"

Then with another expressive sigh and a warm smile, she waved her roommate goodbye and quickly made her way to her next class.

In a more aggressive manner than intended, Touka began pulling at the loose threads on her sleeves.

Irritation was gently bubbling up within her as she watched a small string of her sweater drift down from her fingers and land awkwardly on the surface of her textbooks.

Extra help…

Maybe she should give it a shot.

Touka leaned forward, letting her forehead touch the edge of the polished wooden table as she mumbled incoherent curse words under her breath.

She hated literature.

Why couldn't these characters just be…simpler and not have to make her life harder than it already was?

Then, like the weight of a feather, Touka felt a light tap on her shoulder.

In fact, it was almost too light,

So light that she almost thought that she had imagined it.

Opening one eye, Touka tilted her head slightly to the right and caught a small glimpse of someone standing behind her.

This time, another tap, but it wasn't as light as it was previously.

"Yes…?" she whispered, still keeping her head on the table. "Can I help you?"

After a brief moment of silence, Touka could slowly make out the sound of a nervous chuckle.

It was a very quiet laugh, but she could still detect the shy and awkward tone that it came with.

"I'm sorry," a voice said once the laugh died down. "I thought you seemed a bit troubled so I was…I was trying to see if you were okay…"

"Oh," she said, gradually lifting up her head to glance back at the boy. "No, I'm fine. Just tired."

The only thing that flashed across her mind was the question:

 _Who says 'troubled' nowadays?_

Carefully and quietly, violet orbs came into contact with hazel as a young boy, possibly in his early twenties, was smiling rather shyly. He was balancing a large pile of books in one hand while the other still hovered in the air, just a few inches away from her shoulder. Messy midnight colored locks swayed ever so gently with the autumn breeze as he leaned over to take a glimpse at her notes.

"Ah, is this literature?" he said, his voice soft and light.

Without even making a single sound, he set down his books on the table to get a closer look at the story resting in front of her.

"Oh um yeah." She said stiffly. "Not my best subject." She added.

Narrowing her eyes, she shifted her weight a bit further from this glasses wearing boy.

 _Why was he so close?_

How irritating.

"Oh, this is one of my favorite books." He suddenly chimed, pulling over a chair and quietly sitting next to her. "Character analysis?" he asked, his voice just a centimeter above a whisper.

"Yeah…" she mumbled, awkwardly inching herself away.

He didn't seem to notice, his eyes were too busy scanning the questions in front of him as he flipped open her book before quickly skimming through the pages.

 _Annoying._

For some reason, this guy was extremely…

Annoying.

Why?

Touka unconsciously began to tap the end of her pen against the polished wood at an inconsistent pace.

Why was he so annoying?

"Oh, I think I know what you're having difficulties with." He said, a strange expression of excitement flickering across his face. "It's quite simple actually, you just have to read in between the lines."

"Easier said than done." She frowned, her tapping gradually getting louder.

What the hell?

Was he tutoring her?

He gave her an encouraging smile, his glasses slightly slipping from the bridge of his nose.

"Here, read this passage. This part here focuses mainly on this character," he started, pointing at the beginning of a paragraph. "If you focus on his inner feelings then look at his dialogue then you'll notice the similarity between the two. These things will define his character."

She stared at him, the gentle bubble of extreme irritation eating away at her insides.

 _Tap, tap, tap, tap._

Finally, she reached over for her book and grabbed it with slight hesitation. Offering another glance at the boy, she slowly began to read the suggested piece of evidence.

 _Tap, tap, tap, tap._

Concentration was slipping from her grasp like sand as she struggled to make sense of the small, neatly packed words printed out in front of her.

Scowling at her lack of literature skills and patience, Touka snapped the book shut with brute force, ignoring his look of surprise.

"I don't get it." She hissed.

He chuckled nervously, his expression softening as he once more leaned in to take a closer look.

"See here?" he said, opening the book back open then resting an index finger on the center of a page. "It shows the character's desire to be young again. You can tell because all he talks about is how beautiful and wonderful is youth was. Currently, he's 47 but the only thing that he keeps mentioning is his childhood, do you understand?" he said calmly, the small smile still refusing to fade.

Touka said nothing, she only nodded, her frustration slowly diminishing.

"And it also states here," he trailed off, flipping the pages before pausing, his eyes carefully analyzing the words. "Ah, here…right here, it says that he still keeps the toys from when he was young. This implies his strong connection to the past. In other words, he desires for his childhood."

They stared at each other for a brief moment, the chestnut aroma continuing its ballet with the music of silence.

"Thanks," Touka coughed, her eyes flickering towards the bookshelf behind him. "I um…needed that."

"No problem. It's just something I like to do." He said softly, grabbing his pile of books as he stood up to leave.

 _Tap, tap, tap, tap._

Biting her lip, Touka ran her fingers through her hair, the sharp tug at her scalp only making her irritation bloom further.

" _You know there's a thing called 'extra help' for a reason."_

Damn you, Yoriko.

"Hey!" she snapped, watching him jump with mild amusement.

"Yes?" he blinked, confusion etched across his expression.

"You seem to be pretty good at literature." She frowned, this time tapping her pen against the cover of her book.

"Oh thank-"

"So you think you'll be able to tutor me from now on?"

"Excuse…me?" he smiled awkwardly, his eyelashes fluttering as his eyes locked with hers.

He stared at her, puzzlement melting away with each passing second as realization managed to settle down in its place.

"Oh! Oh, I um…I…maybe? Um, when?" he stammered, digging his one free hand into his pocket then pulling out what seemed to be his schedule. "I'm uh free on…" he paused, his fingers fumbling with the paper.

Touka gave him a rather bored look as he continued to struggle opening the slip of paper while balancing his books at the same time.

"Thursday! Thursday afternoon. Is that alright with you?" he laughed, clumsily adjusting his glasses.

Violet locks brushed against her cheek as she rested her elbow on the table, her chin gently finding itself on top of her palm.

Mentally running over her own to-do list, she nodded in approval.

"Yeah, Thursday is fine." She said.

"A-Ah that's good! Great! Um, yeah so then I'll see you at two?"

She nodded.

"Okay! Two! Library? Here?"

She nodded again.

"Alright, bye…um…"

Realizing what he was asking for, Touka sighed.

"Touka. Touka Kirishima." She said indifferently. "And yours?"

Silently, she noticed something off about this boy in front of her...

Perhaps, it was the glare of the sun that was constantly streaming through the windows.

Or perhaps, it was the endless disgusting feeling of drowsiness that was clouding her judgment.

Or perhaps, she wasn't imagining things in the first place after all.

But for a second, the split second that Touka had paid careful attention to,

She noticed his smile falter, and before she could register why, it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

In fact, it vanished so quickly that Touka could've sworn she had imagined it.

"You can call me Haise." He said, his free hand making its way up to his chin. "Sasaki Haise."


	3. Drama Queen

"Sasaki Haise…" Touka mumbled to herself, her violet eyes continuing to scan over her English book. "Sasaki…Haise…"

She then paused, a small frown tugging at her expression.

Where has she heard that name before…?

"Boo!" a voice chirped softly as gentle hands grabbed her shoulder.

Touka sighed but flashed her fellow roommate a small smile.

"How was the homework?" Yoriko hummed, pulling out a chair and plopping herself down.

"While you were gone…" she trailed off, her pen once again finding itself tapping the glazed surface of the mahogany table. "Actually, do you know anyone named Sasaki Haise?"

Blinking at the odd question, Yoriko slightly tilted her head to the right before giving her friend a teasing smile.

"Oh?" she giggled, hazel eyes holding a sly gleam as she rested her chin on the knuckles of her right hand. "Is Touka interested in another man? That's rare! Tell me everything!"

"No, Yoriko! That's not it!" the other snapped, irritation obviously visible on her features. "I'm just asking if you know him!"

Still holding onto the smile that Touka had the urge to slap off, Yoriko tried her best to calm her friend with a quick wave of her hand.

"Sorry, sorry." She grinned, squinting against the sharp ray of sun that was streaming through the windows. "I haven't heard of him actually. What does he look like?"

"Um…black hair? With glasses? He seemed kind of like a nerd."

"That's mean, Touka."

"I'm just saying what I think."

Humming an odd tune under her breath, Yoriko glanced at the book that was used as a support for Touka's arm.

"Well, I haven't heard of him…maybe when I see him I'll know." She said lightly. "Why? It's rare to see you so… _curious_ about someone."

Narrowing her eyes, Touka said nothing before leaning back in her chair with an exhausted sigh.

"I felt like I heard that name somewhere that's all."

Still, Yoriko didn't lose the look of suspicion and the gentle hint of amusement that glimmered in her eyes.

However out of respect for Touka's annoyed expression, she didn't question her any further. Instead, she reached over and softly tapped the old English book.

"So? How was it? Did you get it?"

Shifting herself to a more comfortable position, Touka averted her eyes away from her friend before letting another sigh escape her lips.

"Yeah…" she paused, hesitation lacing her words. "Someone…helped me…I guess."

An exaggerated gasp immediately came from the other girl as her eyes widened in a dramatic manner.

" _Touka Kirishima asked for help?_ " she whispered, the small smile still clinging onto the corners of her lips. "Impossible! That is unheard of!"

"You're really asking for it aren't you?"

Yoriko giggled in response before shaking her head, her light hazel locks swaying with each motion.

"I'm just teasing-"

"Sasaki Haise helped me."

The eerie pressure of silence seemed to be filling up the girl's lungs as she stared at her roommate with slightly parted lips.

Yoriko blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering as she tried to comprehend the words Touka had just uttered.

"O-Oh…" she said, uncertainly.

She then paused, searching her friend's face for any hint of irritation. However, the only thing she could pick up was the mixture of anger and mild, very mild, admiration.

"He's an annoying bastard who's actually really smart. Damn that glasses wearing nerd…" she trailed off before flashing her friend a cold glare. "Don't give me that look."

"What look?" Yoriko asked with the full knowledge of her expression.

" _That_ one!" the other snapped with a fierce scowl. "Honestly, Yoriko, give me a break."

An apologetic smile graced the young girl's face as she watched Touka mumble another round of incoherent curse words under her breath.

"So, what did he help you with?"

"Character analysis…" she said with a frown, unconsciously biting her lip in frustration. "He was really good at it and he's going to tutor me from now on."

Yoriko nodded, holding back the urge to add in another teasing comment.

Then, a random thought dawned upon her, her eyes traveling towards the huge plastic clock hung up on the library wall.

"Touka, it's six." She said.

"Yeah? So?"

Another moment of silence danced through the autumn air until Yoriko finally offered an awkward smile along with a gentle look of concern.

"You have work."

Instantly, books toppled off of the table as a chair scraped loudly against the wooden floor. Pens were scattered across the ground and the loud snap of multiple textbooks being closed shut echoed throughout the quiet room.

" _Shit!_ " Touka hissed, grabbing her coat and bag. "I'm late!"

* * *

An exhausted sigh of relief escaped from Touka's lips as she plopped herself down onto a spare chair near the counter.

She had barely managed to change into her bartender uniform, get into her car, jam her keys into the engine, and speed down the streets as fast as the law would allow.

Perhaps, due to luck or maybe due to the power of sheer desperation, she had arrived at Anteiku right on time.

Running her fingers through her hair, Touka closed her eyes as a sense of weariness drifted itself onto her.

Then with another sigh, she raised her arm and placed the outward surface of her hand onto her forehead. Work should be her main priority, but the gentle clinks of glass and the soft whispers that seemed to be fading in and out was making it extremely difficult for her to stay conscious.

She was tired and wanted nothing more than the warmth of her bed and the coolness of her pillow.

Then, carefully and almost calmly, the silent creak of a wooden door tugged at Touka's ears, signaling the entrance of another costumer.

Forcing herself to open her eyes, Touka got up from her chair with a light scowl.

Her eyes flickered towards the door, expecting Tsukiyama to come strolling in with a brilliant smile along with another murder story to share.

But instead,

There was someone else.

A sharp piercing color of pure white sliced through the air causing Touka's eyes to widen in surprise.

A young man dressed in rather formal clothing entered the bar with a look of indifference. His gray eyes traveled around before resting them on Touka. His hair was the extreme color of white – almost like snow, contrasting with the black jacket that hung onto his shoulders. He had a crisp red tie that went incredibly well with his gray waistcoat along with trousers that was also dyed with the rich color of black.

Besides the white hair, there was another odd feature that Touka couldn't help but notice.

An eyepatch with the design of a white centipede grazing its surface.

A centipede…

Why would he have a-

Oh.

She paused, her violet eyes lowering themselves from the young man.

This was quite interesting.

She held her breath as she noticed the new costumer quietly take a step forward, his black coat fluttering behind him with each step.

And as he walked, the whispers became quieter and quieter until not even a single one could be heard.

And as he approached the bartender, the gentle clinks of glass gradually ceased its music.

And then, he stopped, an aroma of something similar to gun powder floating around him. He stopped right in front of the counter, the deadly sound of silence taking over the air.

Silence clung onto everyone in the bar including Touka and including the young man who was too busy digging his hands into his pockets to notice the suffocating atmosphere.

Exhaling with the utmost of care, the bartender leaned over, placing a wine glass in front of him with hesitation.

"Hello," she said softly, her eyes still refusing to look at her costumer. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

He paused, gray eyes slowly lifting themselves up and resting them once more on Touka's face. He stared at her for a brief second before letting a small yet warm smile form at his lips.

"Ah, yes, water will be fine." He said quietly, pulling up a chair and settling himself down.

She nodded, grabbing a nearby pitcher of ice water and pouring him a cup without saying a word.

He took a sip while his dull eyes rested on the surface of the counter. He exhaled, placing the cup back down, and letting the ice clink against each other softly.

Then, slowly and very carefully, Touka leaned over, her violet locks swaying against her cheek as she did.

"What are you doing in a place like this…" she whispered, her voice soft as a feather.

She paused before adding, "Kaneki Ken?"

No one said a word.

Silence coveted the land with its eerie presence as the white haired man in front of her remained calm and quiet.

And then,

He chuckled, his shoulders trembling with laughter as he raised his hand, running his fingers through his snow colored locks.

"You figured it out rather quickly, haven't you?" he said lightly, adding in another small laugh once he finished.

He tilted his head to the right, white eye lashes slowly fluttering as the gentle whispers finally resumed its song in the background.

"It was pretty obvious." Touka replied darkly. "Who else would have an eyepatch? And who else would be able to make an entire bar sound like a funeral?"

He gave her another timid smile before nodding, "I suppose so."

She stared at him before sighing from exhaustion, "So? What do you want?"

"Shall I get straight to the point or shall I enlighten you on the manner?"

She narrowed her eyes, a scowl taking over her expression as she glared at him.

"I'm guessing you want me to get straight to the point, am I correct?" he smiled.

She made no attempt to reply.

"I see…" he said softly. "Well then, if I were to be specific, I desire information." His gray eyes flickered around the bar for a good second before resting them back on the bartender in front of him. "And I heard that you are the only one who can give me this information that I so desire."

She sighed, her eyes studying his features with mild amusement.

She knew this would happen.

There were thousands of people who had come up to her seeking her knowledge.

Mafia leaders, gang leaders, political figures, and even some policemen had all come to her demanding answers.

However, she refused to give in without a fight.

And of course, sometimes violence would be enforced, and of course, sometimes her boss would have to come in and clean up the mess.

But this…

This situation was a bit different.

Because in this situation, the person asking for information was the most infamous and deadly mafia leader in the world.

In this situation, life and death was like a game.

But,

Touka Kirishima had her pride and sometimes her pride got in the way of many things.

"I'm sorry," she said, narrowing her eyes. "But I'm afraid I can't do that."

He nodded, a sense of serenity and elegance gracing his features as he shifted his weight a bit to the left.

"Ah, I see." He trailed off with a disappointed sigh. "That's unfortunate…"

"Very." She said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "If that's all then I suggest that you either leave or order an actual-"

"How much?" he said quietly.

"How much what?"

He offered her a casual smile as he brushed his bangs away from his eyes.

"Money." He replied, gently taking another sip from his glass of water. "How much would you like?"

Violet eyes widened in frustration as she glared at him – her arms crossed across her chest with a look of defiance.

"Are you," she hissed. "Bribing me?"

"It seems so."

Narrowing her eyes, she sighed before grabbing a wet rag and wiping the marble counter down with utter annoyance.

"I don't want your money." She snapped, ignoring how some suspicious looking eyes were on them. "And I won't give you any information. It's too dangerous _especially_ if it's you."

His gray eye that seemed almost like the dull shade of steel stared at her with a timid look of amusement. Resting his chin on the palm of his right hand, he gave her a small smile of curiosity.

"Is that so?" he said lightly. "Then if it's not money, what do you want?"

"I don't want anything."

He sighed before quietly getting up from his chair.

"I'm sure there's something you desire." He said with a hum. "I can give you anything. Money? Gold? Jewelry?" he then leaned over as softly as a ghost, his lips brushing against her ear. "Perhaps drugs?"

The urge to slap his face away was grinding into Touka's bones as she gritted her teeth, taking a step back. Her anger was radiating off of her with enough force to fill the entire room, but she held firm onto her temper as best as she could.

"Stop mocking me." She seethed in between clenched teeth. "I don't want anything you have to offer me."

He blinked at her, snowy eyelashes fluttering in surprise.

"Ah, I see." He said softly. "If you change your mind-"

"I won't."

Again, he stood there in silence for a brief moment before smiling.

"Well, in case you ever do," he started quietly. "Tell Tsukiyama. He seems to like this place after all."

With a curt nod, he bid her a small farewell and was about to turn to leave, but something latched onto his shoulder.

"Hey," a voice hissed venomously. "Are you Kaneki Ken?"

The mafia leader glanced back to see another man gripping his shoulder with obvious wrath. He stood to be at least six foot with a wide frame and burly shoulders. Oily black hair was slicked back with an excessive amount of hair gel as scars from various bloody battles decorated his face and arms. He was sneering down at Kaneki, panting heavily as his alcoholic breath streamed out of his lungs.

Touka mentally smacked herself on the forehead.

This idiot was drunk.

"Yes. I am." Kaneki said with a look of indifference.

"Rize wants to see you." The burly man grumbled lowly. "Come with us."

"Us?" Kaneki smiled wearily.

Almost on cue, a couple of wooden chairs skidded across the floor as nearly half the bar's costumers stood up from their tables, abandoning their alcoholic beverages. Touka bit her lip once she noticed some of the weapons in their hands.

 _Shit._

Touka mumbled a round of curse words under her breath as she quickly tried to think of a way to escape.

She's seen these types of scenes enfold so many times and it _never_ ended pretty.

Wait…

Did he just say…?

Rize?

 _Double shit._

She knew Rize. She knew her very well.

Rize, or also known as the Binge Eater, had spread her influence beyond imagination. Unlike Kaneki's network which is the trading of questionable weapons and also the trading network itself, Rize was also a mafia leader who was in charge of drugs, weapons, and the trafficking of humans.

She was in charge of all the nasty things in the world.

And she was also known for her nasty personality.

There were rumors about how her business rivaled the Centipede's himself, but those were only rumors.

In terms of success, Kaneki Ken was number one.

The white haired mafia held his gaze with the man who still wasn't letting go of his shoulder.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Kaneki said quietly, his gray eye scanning the area. "I'm quite busy."

"You don't have a choice, pretty boy."

Again, irritation was forming at the pit of Touka's stomach. She didn't want to be in this mess and she certainly didn't want to be shot full of lead.

Struggling to think of a quick plan of escape, she took a step forward.

Almost instantly, a sharp crack of a gunshot and a shatter of several wine bottles echoed like a piercing scream. It was almost like a streak of silver as a bullet skimmed through the air – rendering the room in utter silence.

Touka's eyes widened as she slowly glanced at her right, a bullet hole buried deep within the cabinets of alcohol.

It missed her head by a centimeter.

"Don't move, girl." Another voice growled almost slyly. "Or parts of your brain will be used as paint for the wall."

She glared at the other man who still had his gun raised and aimed. She gave him a cold look of defiance, refusing to show even a bit of fear, but it was proving to be difficult because the weapons in his hand did seem a bit threatening.

She then took a quick peek at Kaneki Ken who, for some reason, didn't seem too fazed. In fact, he looked as if the entire situation was just another event on his to-do list. He had his usual calm kind of expression with the same dull spark in his eyes. He was even ignoring the metal gun placed right on the surface of his forehead.

"Hey," the burly guy growled with a pathetic hiccup. "I said to come with us. Rize is waiting."

"Tell her to wait even more." The mafia leader sighed. "Like I said, I am very busy." He paused, a strange dark look flickering across his expression. "And also, I would like it if you let go of my shoulder."

The burly man cackled, the hot breath of a drunken man crashing against the mafia leader like waves.

"What makes you think I'll-"

Touka blinked and a part of her sort of wished she kept her eyes closed.

Because in the split moment her eyelashes fluttered shut and opened once more – all she saw was the putrid color of crimson.

That sickening odor of metal along with that horrendous burning color of scarlet, and those ear piercing cries of terror.

It all became a musical of chaos.

The white haired _idiot_ had smashed his knee into the burly maniac's _face_ , sending him flying across the room, scattering tables and chairs everywhere. Everyone had stared at the scene unravel and maybe they shouldn't have let themselves be distracted because in that second, a line of pure white sliced through the air as Kaneki grabbed another man and his weapon – pinning him onto the floor with the gun right next to his skull.

"Alright." He said lowly. "Nobody move."

Nobody moved.

The other men of Rize's little group had clamped their mouths shut, but their guns were all pointed at that one mafia leader.

Kaneki held his weapon firm next to the hostage's head who seemed to be whimpering underneath his breath.

"You," a raspy voice coughed.

The man who got kneed in the face came limping back over. His nose was twisted in such an odd direction with blood splattering the floor below that Touka almost felt bad for the drunk moron.

"You think we care about him?" he laughed before wincing in pain. "He's worth nothing, not even as a hostage."

Kaneki remained silent, his eye carefully watching the men surrounding him.

"Kill him." The man with the broken nose chuckled.

Still, no one moved.

Confused and slightly agitated, the man glanced at his comrades.

They stared back at him, their eyes wide with fear and shock.

"What's wrong you idi-" he started but something silenced him.

The cold bite of metal touching the back of his head seemed to be burning into him.

" _Non, non_." A voice said almost playfully. "That will not do."

Touka would never admit it, but in that moment, she smiled in relief.

Never did she think that she would be so happy to see that thickheaded, stupid, retarded yet glamorous…

Drama queen.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance," Tsukiyama said softly into his victim's ear. "Let's have a little fun tonight, shall we?"


	4. What A Woman

Kaneki narrowed his eyes, his breathing slow and gentle as Tsukiyama gave him a playful smile.

Then slowly, the mafia leader lowered the gun from his hostage's head before walking over to his fellow comrade with a sigh.

"I said I didn't need you to come with me." He said lowly, the soft crinkle of irritation forming on the surface of his forehead.

"Ah, but from the looks of it, you needed a bit of help." The other replied with a teasing laugh.

"I didn't need any help."

Giving his boss a dramatic wave of his hand, Tsukiyama slowly rested his eyes on Touka.

"We are terribly sorry for dragging you into this mess." He grinned. "We'll pay for the damage."

"You better." She hissed, refusing to show the wave of relief that was crashing over her.

Kaneki said nothing for a moment, his gaze still drifting around the bar as if he was searching for something entertaining.

"Now then," Tsukiyama said quietly, his gun still pressed against the dude with the broken nose. "You said that Rize wants to meet my leader? Can you tell me why?"

The man stood there in silence, a smirk crawling up his face.

"I asked you a question, sir."

Nothing.

Tsukiyama was obviously getting rather impatient because his usual grin was fading at a rapid rate.

Perhaps Touka was expecting too much.

She expected the man to comply and just do what Tsukiyama had ordered him to do.

But instead, he did the opposite.

He spun around his on his right heel, bringing his left leg upwards in a swift motion. Without even a moment of hesitation, he swung it directly towards Tsukiyama's temple - the air shattering around them as a sickening crack echoed throughout the bar.

Everyone watched in silence.

Their eyes widening in realization, their thoughts not really processing what had just occurred.

Touka watched in horror, bracing herself for the worst.

Maybe like a broken skull or something, but all she could really make out was a broken ankle.

Tsukiyama held onto his charming smile, his hand wrapped around the dude's foot that was harshly bent in an odd direction. Kaneki simply sighed as if he had been expecting this kind of thing to happen from the very beginning.

"How rude." The drama queen shook his head in disapproval. "I ask you a question and you answer with a roundhouse kick? Although I have to admit that you executed the attack flawlessly." He paused, relishing his victim's pained expression with a warm smile.

His grip tightened aggressively, crushing his already crushed bones with brute force.

A pathetic whimper escaped from the dude's throat.

"I just have one critique." He whispered lowly. "You weren't fast enough."

A gunshot.

Touka blinked as the smell of blood dyed the air.

Crimson droplets splattered onto the floor like spilled paint once Tsukiyama let the man fall onto his knees then onto his face.

"A bullet to the head is a quick and painless death when done correctly." He said lightly, kicking the fresh corpse aside. "So no worries."

No one really knew what to do, but Touka kind of had an idea:

 _Get out of here._

There were two exits.

One in the front and another in the back. She was closest to the back so that would have to do.

Gently, she took a deep breath and turned her body slightly to the right. She was going to get out of here before anything else could possibly happen.

That's what she was planning to do at least.

Before a floorboard could even squeak, Touka felt a rush of air scraping past her cheek.

Her eyes widened in surprise as an arm suddenly appeared out of thin air, wrapping itself around her neck. It shot the oxygen right out of her lungs causing her to lurch forward in shock, but quickly pulled back once the arm tightened its hold.

Struggling to breathe, her eyes rested on an amused Tsukiyama and a mildly interested mafia leader.

"I…have a hostage." A henchmen panted, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "She seems to be important, huh? You, that little white haired brat, was talking to her before. Why would someone like you talk to a low life bartender? Friend? Perhaps lover?" he teased, his sense of victory only heightening. "Well? What do you say? Come with us and I'll let her live. Unless you want to see her pretty head go pop."

For some reason,

For some odd reason, there wasn't even a single drop of fear probing at her nerves.

Instead, something else was churning and boiling up from within.

 _Red, hot, sizzling anger._

This was getting extremely annoying.

Her temper was on the verge of snapping.

What the hell?

She was just trying to do her goddamn job and she gets dragged into his mess. She always managed to escape these predicaments so why today of all days did she have to be a hostage so that some mafia leader could hand himself in to some other goddamn mafia leader?

She was pissed.

She was very, very pissed.

This arm that was strangling her neck was annoying.

That look on Kaneki's face was annoying.

That overturned table that she'd have to pick up later was annoying.

 _The world was annoying._

And she'd rather die than be some damsel in distress.

Her pride and anger wouldn't allow it.

So, she raised her foot and slammed it straight down into the guy's toe, her heel grinding painfully into his skin.

He screeched, his grip loosening. Immediately, the girl took her chance by shooting her own arm backwards, her elbow crushing into the bridge of his nose and sending him stumbling back into a broken cabinet of alcohol.

She took a step forward then twisted her body to the right, the tip of her shoe crushing against his cheek and throwing him across the air like a ragdoll.

Self-defense was something she learned throughout the years of her dangerous life. Mafia leaders, gang members, corrupted police, and amateur robbers had all become a part of her daily routine.

So it would be strange if she hadn't at least learned how to punch.

"Alright," she seethed in between clenched teeth. "I'm ready to kill so if there's anyone who's interested…step right up."

She didn't really give anyone the time to respond because before she even knew it herself, she leapt forward, her eyes holding nothing but raw anticipation as she hurled her knuckles into a random man's lips. His eyes watered and his scream was muffled against her fist as he staggered backwards, toppling over a chair.

A thin line of pure white sliced through the air like a dagger, catching Touka's attention instantly.

Kaneki's cold exterior seemed to be slowly melting into a softer expression as he rammed his knee into someone's gut before lashing out his hand and disarming another from his gun.

"Um," he started awkwardly, ignoring the stray splatters of blood that stained his shirt. "Would you mind telling me the information I need after this is over?" he asked quietly.

"No." Touka said.

"Ah I see."

Tsukiyama hummed what sounded like a lullaby as he fired a bullet into someone's throat.

Lilac orbs watched the young bartender in amusement as she flipped over a man twice her size with ease. She was obviously very frustrated with the amount of damage done to the bar, but there was a small flare of thrill emitting from her face that didn't go unnoticed.

"What a woman." He laughed, running his bloodstained hands through his hair.

Kaneki said nothing for a moment, his gray eyes flickering towards Tsukiyama then at Touka who crushed her heel into a guy's chest with a crack.

"Yes," he said. "What a woman."


	5. Hide Nagachika

An exhausted sigh escaped Touka's lips, her violet locks of hair swaying like a frail curtain as she shot Kaneki and Tsukiyama a glare.

Corpses and splatters of blood littered the floor along with shattered pieces of wood and glass.

Tables and chairs were carelessly tossed aside and the putrid scent of blood danced with the pungent smell of wine.

This was insane.

These people were monsters.

"Get out." Touka ordered, pointing at the exit furiously. "I have to mop up blood for the next six hours because of you bastards."

"Don't be so dramatic." Tsukiyama chuckled.

"I don't want to hear that from you."

"We will pay for the damage."

"You better."

Touka narrowed her eyes at the mafia boss who was inspecting a bloody corpse in the corner of the room. His hands were digging around in its pockets as if searching for something important before quickly pulling out and hiding whatever he grabbed into his own coat.

Tsukiyama gently picked up a chair and placed it upright with a false smile.

"We'll be on our way now." He said with a hum. "It was a pleasure seeing you again."

Kaneki slowly stood up, his gray eye scanning the area once more before resting on Touka. She didn't like that look on his face especially when it was splattered with crimson.

And his white hair was so distracting that she barely noticed the half-dead henchman crawling towards the door.

"Hey-!" she started, but a sickening crunch cut through the air and she flinched at the horrible sound.

Kaneki lifted his foot up from his victim's head, blood dripping from his heels as he stared down at the still body.

"Tsukiyama, that's not like you." He said softly. "You didn't finish someone off."

"I'm pretty sure he was yours. I made sure to hit every vital point." The other scoffed.

"I did too."

Touka swallowed, trying her best to remove the echo of shattered bones from her head.

"It's probably because of me." She said, refusing to notice the puddle of blood that was oozing from that deformed head. "Sorry, I'm not like _your_ kind of murderers. I don't kill people in one shot."

"How rude." Tsukiyama said lightly, walking over to the girl and carefully playing with a lock of her hair. "We may be murderers but we're not such simple murderers."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It's quite complicated."

Touka was getting irritated again. She grabbed him by his wrist, the small flare of frustration gleaming in her eyes as she dragged him towards the door. Along the way, her land lashed out and before realizing what her aggravation was making her do, she felt her fingers grab Kaneki by the ear. She pulled him painfully towards the exit, ignoring how he stumbled behind.

He seemed taken aback and his eyes widened at the unexpected physical contact with the bartender who was still refusing to let go of his ear. He forgot to struggle and was at a loss for words as she shoved them both out the door.

"Come back if you want a drink and not for some dirty little secrets." She snapped, her violet eyes staring at Kaneki in disgust. "I don't have time for your pathetic questions. Leave. I need to clean this place up."

She slammed the door in their face.

Tsukiyama was still smiling, the breeze gently flowing around them like fragile wings as he gave his boss a laugh.

"Didn't really go as expected, yes?"

Kaneki didn't reply and instead rubbed his ear, noticing how it burned from her touch.

She had quite the grip…

"Those men," he started softly. "Were from Rize's group. How did they know that I was here?"

"Perhaps the real question is how did _Rize_ know you were here?" Tsukiyama whispered, his eyes glinting underneath the artificial lights. "Isn't this getting interesting, Kaneki? Perhaps, it'll be something worth watching."

They stood there in the darkness with patches of light shining from street lamps overhead. They stood there in silence, letting the crisp and chilly air caress them with its breath. And from there, they could see her and that royal color of purple swaying with her movements as she tightened her grip on the mop. They saw her mumbling and whispering words of anger as she kicked away a dead body into the far corner of the room. They noticed how delicate she looked and yet the aura that was emanating off of her reeked with strength.

The rather fashionable dressed man watched his warm breath clash with the cool of the night before giving his leader a soft smile.

"Are you going to come back here?" he asked.

Kaneki ran his fingers through his hair, a dust of quiet sadness lingering in his eyes as he, too, smiled softly.

"Yes. I still need answers and she is the only one who has them."

"How are you so sure?"

Kaneki laughed and it was a quiet, subtle kind of laugh that not even the wind could hold. It was light and calm, and it seemed almost pleasant like the serene warmth of dying embers.

It was lovely but it was short and it disappeared as quickly as it had came.

"Because," He started, that rare smile fading as he carefully turned around and began his journey back home. "You're the one who told me that she does."

Tsukiyama remained silent, his eyes resting on the back of his leader whom he has followed for so long. A chuckle – charming and relaxed – rang from his lips as he took a step forward and strolled after him - just a feet or two behind.

"You trust me too much." He said, listening to his words fade into the night and swirl up towards the invisible stars.

But then a sharp voice cut through the air, shattering the stillness of the dark with its force and causing Kaneki to jerk his head back in surprise.

"Hey!" Touka snapped harshly.

She walked over to them, dried blood dying her uniform with its ugly color. But they noticed it again:

That powerful beauty. That presence that was fierce and strong, and at the same time elegant.

She marched up to them, that beauty and that ferocious charm of hers burning around her like a chandelier of crystals. She grabbed Kaneki by the hand, shoving a bottle of wine into his palm and ignoring that peculiar look of shock that glimmered across his expression. She looked away, obviously annoyed with her situation but accepting it anyway.

"It's a…thank you gift of some sort." She mumbled, her purple locks softly flying with the breeze before settling back down. "For uh…helping me out, I guess."

Kaneki glanced down at the bottle in his hand and realized that this was quite the exquisite type of wine that she was giving him.

"I won't give you any information, but uh since you are a costumer…" she trailed off, struggling to find the correct words.

She paused as a sense of awkwardness graced her features.

"You're welcome to come by for a drink any time." She sighed.

Kaneki blinked, letting a brief moment of silence drift between them as he quietly gripped the liquor in his hands. It felt cold under his touch but he knew its worth.

"Thank you." He said with a timid smile.

She raised her hand, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she shrugged.

"Don't mention it."

She waved them off, watching them disappear into the blanket of darkness.

The streetlights were blaring their glare onto her, completely concealing any natural light of the stars. Skyscrapers and ancient apartments rose high up into the sky as the twinkling glimmers of planes disrupted the surface of the inky night. The distant honking and screeches of cars reached her ears as she headed back towards the bar. The sound and sight of the city was enough to distract her of that one _irritating_ thought in the back of her mind.

That annoying and itchy concern that was pathetically scratching at the very end of her brain.

The thought that,

 _Kaneki Ken looked very familiar._

* * *

"You don't understand, Yoriko." Touka snapped, tossing a dirty sock into the corner of her dorm. "I had to mop up some tough shit at my job yesterday. You wouldn't understand the amount of _disgust_ I was feeling."

Her friend laughed, letting her voice ring like bells as she struggled to organize her shelf of cookbooks.

"Yes, yes. What a terrible life you must have." She sang, glancing back at her roommate with a teasing smile. "You have an adorable tutor, good grades, a beautiful body and face, and a decent paying job. How _terrible_ , yes?"

Touka threw the other sock at her friend.

"He is _not_ adorable, my god. And it's a _life-threatening_ job for Christ's sake!" she hissed.

Yoriko - her annoying, shitty, and likable friend - was the only one who knew where Touka worked. She was the only one within her group of friends and peers that knew her secret, and Touka was certain that it was a secret that she could keep. Of course, Yoriko at first objected with her line of work, but soon learned to respect her decision after hearing the reason. She was always endlessly worrying about Touka whenever she was at that horrible looking bar and found it difficult to accept her position as a bartender.

But gradually, she was beginning to embrace the fact that Touka may not be in any danger after all.

And Touka planned to keep it that way for many years to come.

"What did you have to mop up?" the friend asked.

"Some nasty stuff, Yoriko." Touka repeated with a moan, stuffing her face into her pillow. "I'm so tired I could die."

"Go to sleep."

"Then wake up six hours later? That always happens."

"I'll wake you up when it's time for your next class."

Quietly, Touka leaned back on the palm of her hands, listening to the bed creak softly under her weight. She glanced out the window, noticing the gold and crimson colored leaves clip away from their branches and waltz through the air.

The window was slightly ajar, letting the breeze flutter through and shower Touka with its chill.

"Actually, I'm going to go for a walk." She said. "It's nice outside and I need some fresh air."

"I'll catch up with you once I'm done organizing these." Yoriko smiled, holding up a thick book titled _1,000 Different Spices_.

The floorboards cried a soft squeak as Touka leapt off the bed. She gave a small nod of goodbye to her roommate before grabbing her coat and heading towards the door.

"I'll make your favorite today." Yoriko quickly chimed after her.

Touka smirked, her fingers lightly touching the surface of the metal doorknob.

"And what would that be?"

"Human flesh."

Touka laughed, turning her head to look at her with a roll of her eyes.

"The juiciest kind?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Hazel orbs twinkled with entertainment as the breeze played with her rusty golden hair. She gave her friend a thumbs up, a pleasant grin tugging at her lips.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "In other words, I'm making you some chicken. You better be prepared because the best chef in entire city is making you a feast!"

The two laughed, their voices ringing in melodious harmony. Then Touka exhaled and let a warm smile form before waving a final goodbye.

When she stepped outside her breath crashed against the cold layer of air before thinning away. Her hands were comfortably stuffed inside her pockets, her scarf was warmly wrapped around her neck providing her with enough heat, and her coat was thick enough to prevent the sharp chill from penetrating her skin.

It was autumn and yet it felt like winter.

She underestimated nature and her abilities of manipulating the elements. From her dorm it felt so cool rather than dead freezing.

She should probably head back…

The thought of Yoriko's perfect steamy chicken was mouthwatering.

So, flipping her scarf over her shoulder and embracing whatever warmth her attire had to offer, she went on her way.

The leaves rustled overhead, letting some rays of the sun stream through but it did little to crack the chilly atmosphere.

Her boots scraped against the pavement as the breeze playfully teased with her hair, making it brush against her cheeks and forehead.

Then, a familiar voice – cool and calm – laughed with the wind, reaching her ears.

"Touka?" Haise leaned over, a gentle and shy smile painting his expression.

The girl flinched in surprise then quickly narrowed her eyes, annoyed by how close he was and how friendly he sounded.

"What the hell?" she snapped. "Sneaking up on someone is rude."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

His smile faltered and immediately a pang of guilt struck her chest.

"Well, it doesn't matter. What are you doing out here? Aren't you cold?" she asked, avoiding eye contact with him.

He was wearing a simple sweater that was dyed with the lavish color of orange. Comfortable sweat pants and sneakers was also part of his outfit, but the entire thing seemed too thin for this harsh weather.

"A little." He said weakly. "But I'll be going in soon so it's fine."

She raised an eyebrow before tugging at his shirt, feeling the fabric between her fingers.

"Yes?" he blinked almost nervously.

"You must be in the Halloween spirit." She said lightly. "Orange? I'm not so sure if it suits you."

He stammered with his words, not quite sure how to reply but tried anyway.

"O-Oh, um…thank you? I mean, well, m-my friend told me to wear it so I…" he trailed off, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

She paused then let go with a huff.

A brief moment of silence floated between the two and before she could apologize for her rude comment, another voice – an unfamiliar one – interrupted her train of thought.

This time it was filled with something completely opposite of Haise's. It wasn't soothing or cool, it wasn't soft and gentle, and it wasn't light and shy.

It was extremely annoying.

"Haise!"

She turned and so did Haise whose face immediately lit up the moment he heard that irritating tone.

Touka blinked as something gold fluttered past her, crashing itself against Haise. She stared at them in shock and struggled to comprehend what had just happened. The sugary smell of fresh dew wafted and curled up with the breeze, lingering behind a boy who had tackled Haise with his weight but not quite toppling him over.

His hair was the bright and colorful shade of yellow; it reminded Touka of sunflower petals shining underneath warm rays. His eyes represented the lovely color of slightly roasted chestnuts and a shimmering smile was spread across his face. His aura was strong and his presence was impactful, it was hard not to notice him.

He wore a gray sweater underneath his navy blue jacket and ocean colored jeans. A cute winter hat hid the crown of his head and his backpack was hanging over one shoulder as he laughed at his friend's surprised expression.

"I go looking for you and here you are talking to a girl!" he chuckled and that voice flew with cheer. "My boy, Haise, growing up so fast."

"Uh," Touka frowned, annoyance blooming within her stomach. "Who are-"

She stopped, her eyes widening with realization.

He was known as the star of the school apparently. That little flare of warmth that everybody seemed to cherish. The lovable, exciting, and thrilling boy who was always smiling.

Hide Nagachika.


	6. Drunk Secrets

His warmth spread its frail wings, coveting Touka in its golden rays. His eyes were brimming with sincerity as the wind puffed against them, desperately trying to keep its chill.

He smiled and the world seemed to smile with him, basking in his joy and cheer.

"Hello. The name's Hide." He grinned.

She noticed how the awkward aura that was emanating from Haise a moment earlier was shattered into a rain of crystals.

An air of comfort wafted around him, letting a gentle smile spread across his expression.

And for some reason, a surge of relief rushed through Touka's chest as well.

How strange.

It was almost as if Hide had brought a new form of happiness into the atmosphere around them.

"My name is Touka." She said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh?" A teasing smile flashed across his face and Touka was immediately reminded of Yoriko. "So you're the girl that Haise is tutoring. Quite the catch, huh, buddy?" he laughed, nudging his friend with an elbow.

Crimson flushed across Haise's face before quickly using his hands to cover what he could.

"H-Hide!" he stammered, his eyes peeking through his fingers in surprise.

Touka raised an eyebrow, slightly amused by his reaction.

"Aw, he's being shy again." Hide chuckled. "He's always like this around girls." He playfully winked at Touka who rolled her eyes.

"S-Stop it, Hide." He said, struggling to keep his voice stern. "I-I mean it."

"Sure, buddy, sure."

A swirl of energy spun around the three as she watched Haise mumble words of denial against Hide's constant teasing. It brought a sweet scent of something akin to cherries and the fresh taste of chilled mint.

These two…

She could kind of sense it.

A friendship that bloomed with trust.

She gave herself a light chuckle. It was a bit refreshing.

"N-No, I don't just start hitting on girls in the library!"

"You don't have to hide anything from me!"

"I'm not!"

"I, your charming and handsome friend, am obligated to hear about your love life!"

"I don't have one!"

Actually, at this rate, she was going to get a headache.

Refusing to put up with their idiotic spat any longer, she turned on her heels and was about to leave until a familiar voice reached their ears.

"Touka!" Yoriko panted, jogging over to her. "What's taking so long?"

She paused, her hazel orbs quietly resting on Hide then onto Haise with mild confusion. And almost instantly, a questionable look melted onto her face.

She chuckled, patting Touka on the shoulder rather aggressively as she smiled brightly.

"My dear friend," she sighed. "You should've just said so."

"Huh?" Touka frowned, ignoring the strange premonition crawling around in her stomach. "What-?"

"Are you Sasaki Haise?" Yoriko asked, her eyes wide with hope.

"Y-Yes?" he blinked, slightly flustered. "A-And you are?"

"I'm Yoriko! Touka's friend and roommate!"

Her arm lashed out, grabbing both Hide and Haise by their hand, and all the while, oblivious to the look of genuine concern etched across Touka's expression.

"I cooked a wonderful meal back at our room." She said, her voice breathless and excited. "Would you like to join us?"

" _What?_ " Touka snapped.

"H-Huh?" Haise gasped, his eyes darting from Yoriko to Hide to Touka then back to Yoriko in a panicked frenzy. "J-Join you?"

"Yes!" she laughed, a gentle curtain of anticipation layering her eyes. "I'm sure Touka doesn't mind! Right, Touka?"

"Hold on a minute-"

"See?" Yoriko quickly said.

Haise and Hide both flinched at the strength of her grip as she held onto that oddly warm smile.

Her twinkling hazel orbs gave a sharp glance at Hide

And in that one glistening moment, a jolly grin spread across his lips as he inherited her intentions and fiery determination.

Softly resting the palm of his right hand on top of his friend's shoulder, he gave him an encouraging smile.

"Haise," he started dreamily. "I support you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Haise exclaimed, swatting away Hide's hand. "Y-Yoriko, we appreciate the offer, but I feel like we're intruding-"

"No! Not at all!" she cut in, the strength of her grip increasing tenfold. "It gets quite lonely after a while, y'know, just the two of us. So it'll be fun to have some guests over! The more the merrier, right?" she pushed forward, her smile only widening.

Haise opened his mouth once more to kindly reject her offer, but a sinister aura began seeping out of the girl in front of him. A swirl of negative emotions seemed to be oozing out of that friendly-looking smile as she nearly crunched the bones in his hands with brute force.

" _Right_?" she hissed in between clenched teeth.

"Right!" Hide laughed nervously, struggling not to fight against her deadly grip.

The other nodded vigorously, wincing against the shock of pain that jolted his hand.

"Right!" he squeaked.

Touka stepped forward, now more than ready to bash her fists into all three of their heads, but Yoriko slowly turned around.

A menacing smile lacing her lips, sending a dangerous shiver down Touka's spine.

"Right?" she whispered. "Touka?"

The pleasant and simmering air that Hide first brought to the group froze over, and a chilling atmosphere of dread slowly replaced the original cheer.

"R-Right…" Touka mumbled, hugging herself.

Man, it sure did get kind of cold out here.

She could practically feel sheets of ice crackling over her skin.

"Good!" Yoriko laughed, finally letting go of the boys.

They fell over, massaging their fingers as best as they could and letting the blood rush through their hands. Haise began mumbling incoherent words underneath his breath while Hide desperately tried to convince him that the innocent young girl named Yoriko was not trying to murder them.

"I-I've faced more horrible things than this, and yet why am I so…so…" Haise stammered in between pants. "Scared?!"

"You've faced things worse than a cute girl trying to rip your hand apart?" Hide laughed. "Like what? I'm curious now."

A strange silence drifted between the two, veiling the muffled giggles from Yoriko as she chased after a frustrated Touka.

Then after another eerie moment, he spoke.

"Assassination attempts is one of them." Haise smiled.

The blonde blinked, not quite registering what his friend had just said.

He stared at him, not reacting even when Haise chuckled and smiled, "I'm kidding!"

Maybe he was the only one who sensed it, but the wind seemed to have gotten thinner, silently brushing past them, and leaving behind a shimmer of ice. It whispered words of doubt, working its way into Hide's head and quietly caressing his thoughts.

"Hide?" Haise smiled uncomfortably, raising his hand to his own chin. "I said I was kidding."

The blonde remained silent before bursting out into a fit of laughter, plastering a clueless smile across his face as he did. His voice rang like bells, catching the attention of Touka and Yoriko once more.

But as he laughed, a dark look dawned upon Haise's face, calmly dusting his expression before instantly reverting back to his awkward nature at the quick blink of an eye.

But Touka saw it. She noticed it, her violet orbs flickering at his expression like the wind playing with the frail flame of a candle.

Touka frowned, her eyes narrowing in suspicion but then was quickly pulled away by Yoriko's chirpy voice.

"Hurry up!" she exclaimed.

"You crack me up sometimes, bud." Hide breathed, running his fingers through his hair. "Come on, let's go. We don't wanna keep two ladies waiting."

* * *

It was a bit awkward for Touka when they arrived at their dorm.

She sat on the couch after finishing her meal, ignoring how Haise hovered uncomfortably around her. Hide seemed to be having a blast with Yoriko because she could hear laughter from the far end of the room.

Feeling the rough fabric of the couch scratch against her skin, Touka clasped the cup of coffee in her hands in irritation. She shot a glare at Haise, letting him know that she was very annoyed with their sudden intrusion and loud presence.

Hide howled with laughter, his sun dyed hair graciously flying with his movements as Yoriko joined him. She giggled, painfully patting his shoulder then handing him another can of what seemed to be beer.

 _Very loud presence._

Haise caught her look almost immediately and nervously glanced away, his hazel eyes averting around the dorm in a frenzied, panicked pattern.

"I swear to God," Touka started, her violet orbs piercing Hide and Yoriko with a menacing stare. "If they get drunk…" she trailed off, noticing how Haise flinched at her voice. "What are you so jittery about?"

He gave a slight jump, scratching his head with discomfort.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry."

She groaned, loud enough so he could hear and he gave a weak chuckle in response, but snapped his mouth shut when she shot him another threatening glare.

A suffocating moment of silence ripped at his throat, and he coughed, a sudden expression of hopelessness gently spreading across his face. He spoke with a voice that sounded awfully familiar to the purple haired woman, but she remained quiet with a frown tugging at her brows.

"U-Um, T-Touka, I'd like to get to know you better." He said softly.

"Yeah?" she said lowly, sipping her drink. "Why?"

He seemed taken aback by her response, but he answered with semi-confidence.

"W-Well, I'll be tutoring you from now on. So, I guess I just want to um…" he paused, awkwardly staring at the floor. "I think it would be better if we were more comfortable around each other."

He exhaled as if that one sentence carried the weight of the world.

Touka said nothing, listening to the constant laughter and giggles that erupted from the corner of the dorm, and the clinking of cans as they chugged down what they could.

"Fine." She said, a sense of exasperation releasing from her posture. "You're right."

She couldn't be annoyed at him forever. She wasn't even sure _why_ he was so annoying actually.

Just the way he talked, the way he carried himself, the way he walked, and just _everything_ about him pissed her off.

But she knew she was being unreasonable. She was giving him anxiety for no reason, and she knew that wasn't very fair of her.

So with a sigh and the crossing of her arms to show even a tiny bit of pride, she scooted a couple of inches over the coarse texture of the couch and motioned him to sit down.

He complied, a smile painted with relief embracing his expression.

"So," she said, leaning slightly farther away from him. "What do you want to know?"

He seemed nervous (more nervous than usual), but he gave her his usual smile at her words.

 _Annoying._

Again, she felt extremely annoyed.

She internally smacked herself, cursing her lack of reasoning.

"W-When's your birthday?" he asked sheepishly.

"July first." She replied.

 _Annoying, annoying, annoying._

She felt her gut bubble with something akin to frustration. It ate away at her insides, pulling and itching at her stomach. It squirmed and wiggled, biting and nipping at her senses, burning her flesh and skin with pure irritation.

She could punch something.

She bit her tongue and plastered an interested look upon her face as she listened to him speak.

And he spoke with a casual tone of simplicity.

"Do you um have a job?"

The wretched emotions that grew inside Touka with such aggravation suddenly vanished.

It flew away like a wisp of smoke, leaving behind a husky scent of dying embers.

She stared at him, searching for any ulterior motives behind that innocent façade of his. But his smile was still the same, his eyes still held that same naïve sparkle of wonder, and his hands were still resting calmly on his lap.

Annoying.

She could almost laugh.

"No." she lied. "I'm looking for one though."

He nodded as if he understood.

"I see." He said softly. "I can help you look for one." He offered.

"No thanks." She forced a chuckle. "I'll do it myself."

"O-Oh. Okay."

A tense moment of silence curled at Touka's ears.

"What about you?" she said, her voice quickly shattering the ice.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Who else?" she snapped.

"O-Oh, sorry. No. I don't have one yet either." He laughed.

"Well, being my tutor is a job now, I guess."

He blinked at her statement and a warm smile brushed past his face, melting into his skin like a thin layer of cool snow.

"I guess so."

But then he stopped, a weird expression of realization widening his eyes. He gave her a look of astonishment, his hazel orbs glittering with excitement.

"You're paying me?!"

She hit him.

* * *

Haise gave Touka a goodbye, hauling a very drunk Hide over his shoulder.

It has gotten pretty late, but thankfully it was Touka's day off.

"I'm sorry for the trouble." He said, ignoring the dense aroma of beer swarming around his friend. "And I'm sorry about Yoriko."

Touka glanced back at her friend who was completely passed out on the couch. Her can of beer had fallen off of her hands, spilling its remaining content across the floor, staining the surface with its intoxicating color.

"No, it's fine." She mumbled, massaging her temples. "Just make sure he showers or something."

"I will." Haise laughed then let a second of brief silence drift between them. "I…thank you for having us over. It was very fun."

She said nothing for a moment, watching how he struggled to keep Hide stabilized. But then she sighed, ruffling up her hair and giving him a rare smile of warmth.

"It was." She agreed.

He chuckled, a strange charm emanating off of him as he did.

"I'll see you Thursday."

She gave him a curt nod and a wave, slowly closing the door.

"Yeah. Night, Haise."

"Goodnight!"

She shut the door, hearing it close with a faint click.

She exhaled, narrowing her eyes and storming towards her incredibly drunk friend and roommate.

"Yoriko!" she hissed, yanking her up by the arm. "Hey! Wake up! You smell like shit!"

"Mmm…no…leave me alone…" the other mumbled, giggling and groaning at the same time.

"You have to shower right now or else."

"I don't wanna, Toukaaaa." She slurred, half awake and half dead.

She then rolled off of the couch, slamming onto the floor and into the pool of beer that she had unknowingly spilled.

She squealed and hiccupped, smiling up at Touka in her drunken stupor.

"It waz fun, wazn't it, hehe, Toukaaa?"

"Very." She snapped. "Now get up."

"But why?"

"You're such an idiot."

"That's…" she gave another hiccup and spoke in a raspy voice, her eyelids slowly closing. "Mean."

Rolling her eyes, the bartender glared down at her friend with a look of disgust and anger.

"You know, Touka?" her roommate suddenly piped. "Hide told me soooooo many thingssss! Haha! Did ya know that Haise…" she rolled over, letting the cool liquid of spilled beer soak into her clothes. "When he liez…he does this weird thing…"

"Oh yeah?" Touka frowned, grabbing a napkin and dabbing what she could from the floor. "How interesting." She deadpanned.

"Yeah…" Yoriko continued with a burp then a high pitched giggle. "Something with…his hand on his chin or something, haha! Isn't that weird?"

Her friend nodded, aggressively trying to pull the intoxicated girl's shirt off.

She nearly threw up at the burning aroma of alcohol whirling around them like a deadly twister.

"Yeah." She growled, finally ripping the disgusting, beer-soaked shirt off of the brunette. "You're going to wake up with a hangover tomorrow." She whispered.

"What's a hangover?"

"Hell."

"Ohhhh, okay." She hiccupped.

Tossing the shirt over her head, Touka got up and furiously turned on the shower.

"I'm going to toss you in the tub and I don't care how much you hate it." She yelled over the pelting sound of water.

"Okaaaaay!" the other called almost happily.

The rest of the night involved violence.

Touka threw her friend into the water, ignoring how she squealed in confusion and discomfort.

"No!" she had giggled. "No! It's coooold, Toukaaa!"

"Shut up."

Touka had simply rinsed whatever scent of alcohol she could off of her friend's hair and body with a thick layer of soap. She had dug her fingers into her scalp, coaxing and ripping away at the stubborn aroma of beer and whatever else was trapped in there.

Yoriko protested in a series of pathetic punches and whines, splashing water on Touka and onto the floor. Out of exhaustion and fury, Touka had grabbed the shower head and turned it up to the most powerful level, watching it pelt against her friend and forcing her to remain seated in the tub of water.

Yoriko didn't attempt to escape after that.

Finally, after dragging her out and patting her down with a spare towel, Touka simply wrapped a fluffy robe of pure white around Yoriko and hurled her onto the bed.

"There." She hissed, panting and wiping off the sweat with the back of her hand. "Done."

She glanced at her watch, kicking herself in the leg for letting it become so late.

She'll just take a quick shower then climb into bed right after.

So that's exactly what she did.

She let herself be immersed in the steamy temperature of the water, letting it relax her nerves and smooth out her muscles. She took a deep breath and exhaled, relishing this brief single moment of peace, and escaping the reality of her life that cried with turmoil and danger.

She got dressed afterwards in fresh sweatpants and a t-shirt then crawled into bed, tossing the covers over her body and snuggling into her pillow.

She was half way into her slumber when a gentle voice from Yoriko lightly cradled itself into her murky consciousness.

"He…said something else too…" she yawned. "Something…about a…glass eye…"

Touka soon drifted away into a world of dreams moments later.


	7. Pleasure?

The quiet rays of the sun streamed through, gently pressing against Touka's eyelids. The fresh scent of winter softly brushed past the girls, sprinkling its cool across the white sheets. A soothing air of peace caressed Touka with its breath, allowing the girl to breathe with comfort.

At least for now.

A rough groan ripped through the atmosphere, shattering the very presence of serenity.

Clumps of hazel eyelashes fluttered against the irritating light and another dry groan of agony tore through the fabric of the morning calm.

"Shut up, Yoriko." Touka hissed, stuffing her face into the warmth of her pillow. "Your fault for drinking so much."

"My fault?" the other mumbled, enduring against the thundering pain. "What the crap? It feels like hell."

"I know." Touka grumbled, trying her best to lure the wonderful land of slumber back to her. "Now, shut up and let me sleep."

But the pain seemed to be too much for the young girl because multiple moans clawed at her throat, rippling the tranquility that Touka desperately tried to cling onto.

"Alright!" she snapped, hurling her pillow at her friend, and watching it smack against the small mound of brown. "Do you want water?"

"Yes." Yoriko whispered weakly.

Tucking a strand of violet behind her ear, the exhausted girl forced herself to get up, ignoring how her hair was ruffled in odd directions.

She stared as the water splashed into the plastic cup, sprinkling the sides with its liquid jewels.

A sigh escaped her lips and she narrowed her eyes as she picked up the cup and walked back to her hungover friend.

"Here." She said lightly, handing it to her. "You should sleep in. You don't have any morning classes, right?"

Yoriko shook her head but immediately stopped once another pound of electricity slammed into the center of her skull.

She gulped down whatever she could, not noticing a trickle of water sliding down her chin.

"What happened last night?" she grumbled, staring down at her blankets. "The last thing I remember is having my eighth can of beer with Hide and then…" she trailed off, furrowing her brows in annoyance. "Ugh, Touka, my head hurts."

"Yeah?" the girl said, rolling her eyes. "You can at least thank me. I went through a lot of trouble giving you a shower."

"You gave me a shower?"

She nodded then gave a teasing smirk, "Aren't I such a _great_ friend?"

The brunette chuckled, flinching at the never ending roller coaster of hammers pounding on her brain.

"Oh yeah," she said sarcastically. "The greatest."

A moment of silence drifted between the two, bringing a sense of stillness in the air.

"By the way," Yoriko managed to mumble, sliding back down into her fort of heat. "How was it last night, you know, with Haise? Did you two have a lot of fun? I bet he was great in bed-"

"Wanna die?"

"Well," her friend giggled, her eyes twinkling. "My hangover is sort of killing me so you lost your chance."

Crossing her arms, Touka looked out the window, running last night's events through her head. She analyzed what she could, trying to remember even the things that was a bit too hazy for her liking. She dug through the thick muddle of soup, focusing on the important pieces of information that she obtained.

And finally,

"Yoriko," Touka started, refusing to tear her gaze away from the outline of that single tree. "You said something weird last night."

The quiet hum of acknowledgement indicated that she was listening.

"You said something about Haise." She continued, a strange glint of suspicion flickering in her eyes.

She turned her head, the curtain of deep purple swishing behind her as she did. Violet orbs came into contact with hazel, and Yoriko felt something churn in her stomach.

A shivering chill snaked down her spine, trailing its icy fingers across her back.

"Something about a glass eye."

Touka's voice was light and dangerous. It was soft like the smooth texture of a feather, but it carried an odd amount of weight.

Yoriko held her breath, noticing how her friend's purple irises dilated ever so slightly with each passing second.

"I don't remember." She said, feeling how each word slithered away from her lips.

Another layer of silence gently lowered itself onto them, but this time it didn't bring anything remotely similar to something as innocent as peace.

This time, it crushed its claws onto their shoulders, wrenching the air away from their lungs and ripping the previous wind of comfort from their chests.

Touka got up, listening to the eerie creak of the floorboards underneath. She stretched, exhaling then looking back at Yoriko with a warm expression.

"I believe you." She said. "You wouldn't lie to me about something like that anyway."

Yoriko nodded, suddenly forgetting about her blistering hangover for some reason.

"Touka," she squeaked.

"What?"

"Are you alright?" she smiled. "You have this scary look on your face."

Touka blinked, eyes widening in realization as she quietly raised her hand to run her fingers across her lips. She stared out the window again, a weird pressure of anticipation pulling at her stomach.

"I was?" she said uncertainly. "Sorry. I-I didn't know."

Yoriko remained quiet, her eyes searching Touka's expression for any sign of distress.

"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to," She offered, closing her eyes and letting the hangover take control of her head once more. "I'll be dying right here on my bed."

A sweet laugh flew from Touka as she turned to her own bed and plopped herself down, feeling the plush mattress sink under her weight.

"Thanks, Yoriko."

* * *

The sky was dyed with a dusty color of orchid and a gentle tint of pink illuminated from the horizon, splashing the city with its glow.

Touka finished wiping down the counter, her grip only tightening around the dirty rag as she glared at the cold surface of the marble.

She wasn't sure what she was feeling.

It was a whirlwind of strange emotions she couldn't quite pinpoint.

The last costumer left, singing off-tune melodies as he stumbled out, struggling to walk after his four shots of vodka.

The bar was finally quiet except for the light dance of classical music, twinkling in the background.

The skies lost its last lingering light of the sun, allowing the inky darkness of the new night to morph and immerse itself into the heavens.

Touka wrapped herself in her jacket, locking the backdoor of the bar behind her. She shivered against the cold, glancing up at the single streetlight that flickered aggressively over her.

She then stopped and quietly listened.

"What are you doing here?" she said softly, eyes narrowing in irritation as she turned.

The breeze spun past her, swiftly disappearing with the scent of the city.

"Kaneki Ken." She added lowly.

The familiar shade of pure white gleamed underneath the pressing color of deep blue. The murky blackness of his suit melted into the earth's darkness, disguising him with the very color of the night sky. He took a step forward, his breath puffing against the atmosphere as he ran his fingers through his hair, the white strands flowing with each brush and wind.

He smiled, and Touka didn't like that smile.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you so late at night." He said, his voice moving with subtly. "But I am quite desperate."

"No kidding." She snapped a bit more angrily than she intended. "I don't have time for you, Kaneki."

He said nothing for a moment, but still held onto that rare smile.

"I understand." He said, his coat fluttering behind him as he walked. "But I do not have much time either."

Touka's eyes widened in half surprise and in half fear once his skin came into contact with hers. His gray eyes held little to no emotion, and his smile had disappeared just as quickly as it had come. The wind swirled around them, pulling at their clothes and hair as his hand lashed out, grabbing both of her wrists, and slamming her against the side of the bar's brick wall.

Shock coursed through her body, her brain not allowing her to struggle just yet.

"What the fuck-?" she breathed.

The rough cement pricked against her spine, rubbing its texture against her clothes uncomfortably. She stared up at the mafia boss, dumbfounded.

But reason smacked her against the side of her head – hard.

"Get _off_ of me, you sick bastard!" she hissed.

The back of her mind was screaming at her to rip him away even if it meant murder.

She was about to knee him in the goddamn balls but his voice slithered its way into her head, sending icy whispers down her body.

He was incredibly close to her face and she noticed how _long_ those snowy eyelashes were, and how his jawline was so-

 _Focus, Touka._

"I am in desperate need of information." He said, his tone calm but stern. "And I need you to comply."

"How many times do I need to tell you?" she growled. "I won't give you shit. Let me go right now."

She shivered against his breath and ignored how it burned against the chilled surface of her neck. She tried to wiggle her hands out of his grasp, wincing as it scraped against the harsh bumps of the wall.

He said nothing for a moment, his eyes never leaving hers.

They were gray and devoid of any flare of warmth that she was so used to seeing in so many people. They were blank and held nothing but shivering darkness that no one would dare to touch.

"If it's not money, jewelry, or drugs," he whispered, his hot breath melting against her skin. "Would you like…"

His free hand tentatively lowered itself down to her thigh.

Her breath hitched upwards, stuck within her throat as she felt his palm softly press against her leg.

" _Pleasure?"_

That's it.

That was the last straw.

With every last ounce of strength she could muster, she shot up her knee and crushed it against his gut, watching him lurch forward.

His grip loosened against the pain and he fell onto his knees, holding his stomach as he peered up at her in between looks of pure bewilderment and surprise.

"I'm going to kill you." She threatened darkly, cracking her knuckles as she towered over him. "So you better have a will."

He blinked up at her, those emotionless gray eyes of his looking into her fiery orbs of rage.

"You," he whispered. "You're quite strange."

"Don't give me that bullshit!" she exclaimed, grabbing him by the collar and heaving him up to eyelevel. "Touch me like that again and I _will_ murder you."

He titled his head to the right, a gentle chuckle of amusement escaping his lips as he released himself from her hold, and brushing himself down.

"I'm sorry." He said softly, letting the cool breeze play with his hair as he smiled. "That was very rude of me. I apologize. I shouldn't have treated a lady that way. Tsukiyama would have been very upset with me."

"I'm still going to kill you."

"Please save that for later."

"No. Screw you."

"I understand completely but please let me go."

The roles were reversed now.

Touka was holding onto Kaneki by the arms, practically crushing his bones with her strength.

She was boiling over, frustration getting the best of her as she drilled her glare into his.

The cold spun around them, breathing its chill against their skin, but Touka refused to let go even if her fingers were starting to feel a bit numb.

 _Because she was going to rip his arms off._

"I understand that you are angry, but this is starting to become very painful." Kaneki said with a look of concern. "I cannot afford to have any injuries."

"You think I give a-"

She gave a sharp yelp, her eyes widening in horror as his hand suddenly clasped over her mouth, silencing her.

Hot anger bubbled over, urging her to raise her hand and slap him across the face, but she held her breath, noticing how he stared at her with a finger over his own lips.

"Shhh." He said in a hushed whisper, pressing his body against hers.

She bit back another snarky comment, realizing that he was actually being serious.

His chest felt warm against hers and her cheeks flushed red at the pounding of her own heartbeat. His hand was surprisingly smooth as he held her in place, and her gaze was locked onto his - unmoving and unblinking.

A strange premonition sank into Touka's gut, writhing in discomfort as the night grew dangerously darker.

And then she heard it.

That sinister voice, colorfully decorated with a gilded cheer. It was almost sing-song, almost evilly melodious, and almost _terrifying_.

The voice laughed – a woman's voice – and it rang like golden bells, letting its sound erupt for all the world to hear.

"What are you doing to the poor girl, Kaneki?" it said, a teasing edge to its words. "Sexual harassment is a crime."

Touka recognized that voice and so did Kaneki.

A giggle bounced through the alleyway, taunting the two with its innocent charm. A wide smile spread across the woman's expression as the winter breeze brushed past her, dancing with the strands of her lilac locks.

"Rize," Kaneki said quietly, a strange look silently caressing his eyes. "It's been a while."

The Binge Eater chuckled, throwing back her head as she did, but she stopped and quietly lowered her gaze to take a good look at the Centipede.

Then she smiled sweetly,

"It has."


	8. The Binge Eater

Touka held onto her breath, her head spinning with wild scenarios.

Why the hell was Rize here? How the hell did she find them? What was she after? What was she going to do?

Oh god, she was going to die here.

Kaneki was still pressed up against her, his chest nearly crushing her own ribs as she struggled to remain calm. The brick wall was painfully scratching against her exposed skin, but she knew if she stayed around for a minute longer, there would be more than just pain.

"Kaneki," she hissed as quietly as she possibly could. "Get off-"

"Quiet." He ordered, his minty breath crashing against her. "Stay still. Don't move just yet."

She narrowed her eyes, irritation bubbling up within her stomach. But she bit her lip and didn't make a sound.

"My king," Rize smiled sweetly. "You look tired. Has something been keeping you awake?"

Kaneki returned her smile with one of his own, his eye glinting against the artificial light.

"I should be the one asking you the questions."

Touka gave a small grunt as Kaneki only pressed himself further against her. She could practically feel his breath crawling down her back, leaving behind frail goosebumps.

She was about to snap him an insult, but something was pounding against her skin.

A rhythmic beat was evident against her chest, pulsing into her body and sending a rippling fear into her stomach and out to her fingers.

This wasn't her heartbeat.

Her brows furrowed as she carefully glanced up at Kaneki.

It was his.

This bastard was scared?

No, he was nervous.

Nervous?

Another light grunt escaped her throat as he pinned her roughly against the wall. His hand was now on her shoulder, gripping her tensely as if she would fly away if he let go.

This was starting to hurt like a mother-

"Why are you here, Rize?" he asked softly. "Or rather, how did you find me here?"

A breeze rushed past them, its icy giggle almost taunting Kaneki with its chilly breath.

And in that second, Rize's lilac eyes flickered towards Touka, scanning every inch of her body with a strange sense of absolute danger.

"You," she licked her lips, her voice low yet brimming with color. "You're Touka Kirishima."

The bartender felt Kaneki's breath hitch almost instantly at her words and his heartbeat only pulsated harder.

A trail of winter ice seemed to whisper softly into Touka's ear before curling against her neck and sending a premonition of fear into the deep pits of her stomach.

How did she know her name?

"I asked you a question, Rize." Kaneki said softly, his expression still blank and his eye still cold with suspicion.

"You were hiding her from me, weren't you?" Rize took a step forward, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Rize-" Kaneki immediately let go of Touka, this time pushing her right behind him with an obvious motion of urgency.

"So, I was right after all." The woman continued, another gust of wind burst past them, splashing her hair backwards in a fanatical frenzy. "You _are_ trying to ruin me, Kaneki Ken."

Touka noticed it at the last second, but Kaneki saw it first.

"Touka! RUN!" his poker face had shattered at that point, but even the booming echo of his voice that nearly shook her to the bone wasn't enough to get her to move fast enough.

Before Touka could even turn, the sickening crack of a gun exploded, the brick walls trembling against the roar of the bullet.

A searing sensation ripped through Touka's shoulder, the immense pain dragging its nails down her arm as blood gurgled onto the floor.

Multiple curse words flashed through her head as the bullet tore a shrill scream from her lips. She fell forward, her knees scraping against the concrete, ripping through her flimsy stockings and biting through her flesh. She lurched herself forward, her right hand clamping desperately onto her left shoulder as blood gushed through her fingers, staining her nails with its crimson color.

" _Jesus fucking Christ oh my fucking god fucking hell you bitch what the fuck-_ "

It felt like a sizzling, hot rusty nail shoved itself deep into her shoulder, snapping her bones and muscles apart.

Her ears were ringing intensely, every other sound muffled against the hissing pain as she quickly tried to focus on anything that was nearby.

She faintly heard Kaneki calling out to her, but _oh god this hurt like a bitch._

Kaneki's eye snapped open, his hands coming up right on time to block the kick from Rize. He winced once her heel came into contact with his bone, a faint crack running up his arm. His shoes skidded across the pavement, his rubber soles sizzling against the friction.

Rize wasted no time to fire another bullet, but Kaneki anticipated this and burst out to the left, his coat fluttering behind him as he crushed his heel into the brick wall. His legs moved him upwards before kicking off with a powerful force of speed.

He was inches away from Rize's face, his fist lashing out and aiming for her cheek.

She held onto her smile, her hand interrupting his fist and catching it in the palm of her hand.

But he was stronger and the force was enough to tear itself through her shield, his knuckles crushing itself into her hand and forcing it to slam right into her own cheek.

The Binge Eater flew through the air, her back crashing against a wall and wrenching the air from her lungs.

She gave a sharp cough, wheezing and struggling to regain her posture.

"No weapons, my king?" she sputtered, giggling in between breaths as she gripped her gun. "I only have two bullets left but I know you can dodge them all. So skilled, I'm almost jealous."

Kaneki's attention flickered towards Touka who was still kneeling on the ground, trying to stop the blood with her hand.

"And you hit my face." The woman continued, standing up with her usual smile. "It's not very nice to hit a girl. You show no mercy even to a beautiful woman."

"Yes, but you're quite special." He said quietly, narrowing his eye. "Against you, pulling back my punches is dangerous."

The Binge Eater rubbed her cheek, blood trickling down from her lips and onto her chin. She raised her gun again, pointing it at Kaneki almost playfully.

"Kaneki Ken, are you starting a war?" she asked softly, her smile slowly descending into the rich area of darkness. "Because if you are, you chose the wrong enemy."

The other remained silent, his eye analyzing every muscle movement and every breath with the utmost precision.

"I got some intel that your men were snooping around in my… _business._ " She chuckled, her finger resting on the trigger. "And I'm sure you're very aware of the fact that I like to keep my business a secret, yes?"

"Human trafficking was not part of our contract." He whispered harshly. "That contract is the only thing keeping our alliance together, Binge Eater. If I didn't know any better, you started this new _secret_ of yours as an excuse to wage a war yourself."

Kaneki took a step forward, the wind running its icy fingers through his hair as he zeroed in on his target.

"Or were you ignorant enough to think that you would get away with this?"

Touka's breathing was getting shallow. Her vision was swirling and spinning and morphing together to form a whole new blend of colors.

Oh god, she was going to faint.

Those movies were a lie. Those Hollywood jackasses made it look so easy to get shot by a fucking bullet. What the hell was this crap?

But despite the pain and desperation, Touka managed to pick up on their talk.

This was no new information to her, she knew about Rize's human trafficking business for a while now.

No one else except Rize's group knew about her so called business, so the fact that Touka even had the information put her in danger.

She thought that as long as she kept everything a secret, she would be safe and sound, but of course, life had other freaking plans.

"My intentions have nothing to do with you, my king." Rize hummed.

"I beg to differ." The other said softly. "You broke our contract and our alliance. I don't know why you would do something so reckless but it's clear you intended to do this for a long time. Your human trafficking system was almost flawless which means you've been doing this for quite a while." He glanced back at Touka for another moment.

An interlude of silence curtained between the two leaders.

Kaneki's breath crashed against the winter air as he gave the Binge Eater a gentle smile.

"Rize," he said lightly. "I do not like being tricked."

Another crack ripped through the air, the bullet tearing through the atmosphere and aiming straight for his abdomen. Kaneki threw himself backwards, the bullet centimeters away from grazing his nose.

Pulling himself upright once more, he launched himself forward, becoming nothing more than a streak of pure white, skimming through the air like a needle.

He had to finish this quickly.

Touka was still bleeding out and in obvious pain. If he stalled any longer…

He kicked out his leg, the wind crackling against the pressure as he aimed for her skull.

She managed to duck last second, smiling widely as she pulled the trigger.

But he was ready for it.

His foot that was planted into the ground gave a sharp spin, pulling himself out of harm's way. The bullet seared through the lingering fabric of his coat before wedging itself into the grooves of the wall behind him.

"Two bullets. You have no chance against me without a gun." He breathed, the breeze shifting his locks to the side. "Leave. We will have a meeting about this later."

He turned around, silently catching his breath as he quickly rushed over to Touka's side.

Some of the blood was already dry thanks to the constant barrage of cold air puffing against her skin. Its dull layer of scarlet was caked onto her fingers and uniform in a rather grotesque fashion.

She gave Kaneki a weary look but still managed to sew a scowl together.

"You…asshole…if I get out of this alive…" she mumbled as aggressively as she could before trailing off with an exhausted sigh. "Just…get me out of here…"

Kaneki extended his hand, his fingers carefully wrapping themselves around her right wrist.

"Your injury," he started softly, slowly trying to lift her hand away from the wound. "It's still bleeding."

"No shit, Sherlock." She snapped, wincing at the pain but letting him pull at her hand.

She could still see Rize over his shoulder but quickly closed her eyes once her vision began to blur again.

A rough echo bounced off the walls as Kaneki ripped a piece of cloth from his shirt before wrapping it around her shoulder.

She gave a quiet hiss at the pressure, but managed to fight through the burning pain.

"This will stop the flow even for a little bit…" he said softly, his gray eye meeting her lilac ones. "Does it hurt?"

"Like a motherfucker."

His expression seemed to soften slightly at her words, his quiet chuckle lacing the atmosphere with its calm.

Touka averted her eyes away from him, her face burning with embarrassment from the situation she found herself in. She hoped to god the darkness was enough to conceal the flush of scarlet crawling up on her cheeks.

She opened her mouth, her throat suddenly feeling a little dry, "Thanks."

Gently, the gray eye widened in pleasant surprise.

He blinked, white lashes fluttering carefully with the breeze that seemed to swirl quietly around him.

In that brief moment of genuine gratefulness, the One Eyed King let down his guard and gave the woman a rare smile of tranquility.

But of all the moments that the king could have chosen to be vulnerable, he chose the wrong one.

The same, familiar burst of a gunshot pierced the air, shredding every last drop of relief into powder and sprinkling its remains into the wind.

Touka stared up at Kaneki, violet orbs wide and frozen over with horror as blood gushed forth from a wound that wasn't hers.

She felt herself tremble, unable to register what just happened and what was going to happen.

Kaneki fell onto his knees, his breathing torn and ragged as he desperately wrapped his arms around his stomach in an attempt to stop the blood from spilling any further.

"How careless!"

Touka slowly peered over his shoulder, her body shaking and shivering without her permission.

Rize was smiling, a trail of smoke rising from her gun as she tilted her head.

"He actually believed me when I said I only had two bullets left."

Touka forgot how to breathe for a moment.

A violent tremble spread throughout her body as a feeling she had suppressed for many years surged forth from the deep caverns of her consciousness – fear.

Kaneki was still hunched over, sweat clinging onto his brow as he forced his legs to move.

He got onto one knee.

Blood instantly splattered onto Touka's face a split second later. The same sharp crack of the gun had grown numb to her ears as she watched Kaneki lurch forward, the bullet digging itself into the back of his thigh.

He crashed into her arms, panting and wincing against the excruciating pain.

"In reality," Rize exclaimed, her smile beaming with the lights that decorated the city. "I only have nine left."

Touka stood still, violet pupils unable to tear themselves away from the horror that was before her.

She was practically drenched in blood as Kaneki, the most powerful mafia leader known to mankind, was dying in her very arms.

And the Binge Eater, the second most powerful leader known to mankind, was in front of her with a loaded gun.

Touka couldn't find her voice. She didn't know what to do.

She was going to die.

She stared as Rize slowly began to walk forward, twirling the gun around her finger like a child playing with a toy.

Touka didn't move even when Kaneki gripped her elbow with whatever strength he had left.

She didn't move even when he croaked the words, "Run."

Another gunshot caused her to scream. She jerked backwards, every cell in her body trembling with spine-chilling fear.

She was terrified.

Oh god, she was fucking terrified.

The bullet had plunged itself deep into Kaneki's gut, spurting out blood as it did.

"I wonder how many times I have to shoot him until he dies." The woman sighed, her mouth curling into a deadly smile. "The One Eyed King dies by the hands of the Rize Kamishiro, the Binge Eater!" she threw back her head, letting a golden laugh fly from her cherry colored lips. "It sounds absolutely delicious!"

Horrified and most definitely traumatized, Touka managed to cling onto Kaneki's jacket with shaking arms, scooping him up into a defensive hug.

It wasn't going to do anything.

She felt her fingers get tangled up in his soft, pure white hair as she shoved him closer into her.

This wasn't going to protect him.

She felt like she was going to burst open as her heart pounded intensely against her ribcage.

They were both going to die.

"Touka Kirishima." Rize sang, still walking towards them with slow and steady steps. "My, you look scared. Did you see a ghost or something?"

This fucking bitch-

The Binge Eater cackled and Touka instantly jumped in response.

"Killing Kaneki Ken would be like a dream, but don't worry, I have my priorities straight."

She was now only a feet away from the two.

"He's not at the top of my hit list." She giggled, her lilac eyes sparkling with electrifying thrill.

Her wet tongue glided over her own lips as she gave Touka a radiant look of strange delight.

" _You are._ "

Something was boiling inside of Touka in that moment. Something had chained itself onto her chest, dragging every sense of logic down with it.

Logic and cold, hard analysis had no place in a moment like this.

So, in its place, came a warm and impulsive wave of hardcore emotions.

From the dark recesses of her mind came an explosion of courage and with every ounce of her strength, used it as her boost of morale.

Abandoning all form of reason, Touka let go of Kaneki and launched herself forward, lashing out her hand and grabbing Rize by both of her wrists.

Her shoulder screamed in blazing agony as she mustered up all the strength she possibly could. Her wound was ripping itself apart, but that was the least of her worries.

Rize was fighting back, her smile still wide and beaming as she wrestled Touka with her own monstrous strength.

 _Survive! Survive! Survive!_

All of her natural instincts was chanting the same thing.

 _SURVIVE GODDAMMIT!_

Touka heard Rize's wrist snap against the pressure, and once that look of pain flickered across the Binge Eater's face, a thin line of snow white cut through the air.

A rush of wind brushed past Touka's cheek, and she watched in half astonishment and in half relief as Kaneki crushed his foot against Rize's face.

Touka let go, stumbling backwards as the Binge Eater went flying straight into the brick wall, the force immediately ripping it apart.

Kaneki landed on his feet, his breathing evidently shallow and broken, but his face was still holding onto its trademark poker face.

Blood dripped down from his wounds, painting the floor with a layer of crimson. The gun had been wrenched from Rize's hand and was now resting beside Kaneki's feet.

"Are you…" Touka choked. "Are you okay?"

Kaneki blinked and gave her a quick glance, another shimmer of wind wrapping its icy wings around them.

"Yes." He nodded. "Pain isn't the problem, blood loss is. I think it's best if we go to a hospital."

"You think?" she mumbled, sarcastically.

Tired violet eyes traveled over to the still figure a few feet away from them, covered in rubble and dust.

"Is she dead?"

"No," Kaneki said softly, turning around and limping towards the exit of the alleyway. "Unconscious."

"You're not going to kill her?"

"Killing her right now would be unwise." He answered, his voice nearly muffled against the frosty breeze. "She is still a mafia leader with many connections, and connections mean trouble. And I think she just declared war and…" he gave an exhausted sigh before turning to look at Touka. "We can discuss this on a later date. Right now, I think I need a bath."

She watched him limp away, her head spinning with adrenaline and remnants of fear. Taking a deep breath, she carefully followed him, drowning her thoughts with the translucent and bubbling lights of the city.

But the coarse friction of rubber against concrete grated through her trance, tearing her away from the beauty of the artificial lights.

She looked ahead, noticing the sluggish movements of the mafia leader in front of her. Scarlet drops of liquid was gushing forward, leaving behind a messy trail of splattered blood.

She mentally gave herself a hard smack on the forehead.

God, she was awful.

Taking a deep but shaky breath, Touka quickly sped up her pace.

Gently, she reached forward, taking Kaneki by the arm and placing it over her shoulder. She tucked her good arm under his armpit, softly leaning his weight onto hers.

The mafia leader gave a light gasp of surprise and pain as he struggled to keep his balance.

"You don't have to do this." He winced, his voice still soft and subtle.

"Shut up and walk." She hissed. "Luckily the hospital is-"

"No, there's a place just two blocks ahead." He interrupted, sweat rolling down his cheek despite the cold. "My men are stationed there. They can help."

Growling and biting back her doubts, Touka Kirishima decided to do the one thing she really didn't want to do.

She decided to trust him.

"Alright," she mumbled, taking a step forward. "Just don't die 'till we get there, asshole."


	9. Something was Wrong

_**A/N:** Aghhhhh, I'm so sorry for the late update! I know, it's been like what? 50 years? Jesus, I'm so lazy, it's insane! I was also very busy with school work and stuff like that, so I'm really sorry! I hope this chapter makes up for it. It's pretty long but I think I made it exciting enough. LOL enjoy! And please don't forget to leave a review! _

* * *

Something was wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

Touka hissed a curse, her eyes widening as Kaneki stumbled forward, his hand clutching his stomach wound almost desperately.

His breathing was broken and shallow, his shoes were scraping the sidewalk, and his entire body was trembling violently as if he was wracked with uncontrollable fear. Dry blood crackled against his fingers and his feet tugged him side to side like a drunk dancer. Why did it look like he was tortured by Satan himself? Well in a way, maybe he was.

But Touka could almost scoff.

Her shoulder was still screaming in agony, but it was something she could handle. Granted, Kaneki was shot at least three times but as the most feared mafia leader in all of Japan, wouldn't bullet wounds feel like mosquito bites?

She internally shook her head, mocking herself for exaggerating such a thing. He's still human; pain would still be a thing for him, _stupid fucking idiot._

Still, something wasn't right. She heard so many stories of Kaneki being injured multiple times. And after all those times, he would still somehow be able to find the energy to fight off hundreds of men without breaking a sweat.

Were those just rumors? Maybe they were just fabricated stories to make himself seem cooler than he really was. What if they were all just lies? Maybe he wasn't all that great after all-

Her train of thought was suddenly shattered the moment Kaneki's weight toppled into her, knocking her off her feet and sending them both crashing onto the concrete floor. She winced, holding back a wretched scream as her shoulder crunched against the nasty pricks of the sidewalk.

"Kaneki, what the _FUCK-_?!" she glanced down at him in fury, but for a moment, for just a brief second, her heart came to a sudden halt.

He was on top of her, sweat visibly clinging to his brow. Fresh blood was oozing out of his wounds, dripping onto the floor and staining the white with a putrid red. He was hacking out a cough, his breathing more shallow and broken than before, and his eye was squeezed shut.

"Hey!" she breathed, panic latching onto her chest. "What's wrong?!"

She quickly sat up, ignoring the excruciating pain in her shoulder. She grabbed his own two shoulders, struggling to push him up without applying more pressure onto his injuries. A faint whisper brushed past her ear, causing her to swiftly lean in.

"What?! What did you say?"

She noticed him give a sharp gasp for air. He was in an obvious daze, his eye glossed over with a strange sense of urgency and exhaustion.

He opened his mouth,

"P-Po…ison…"

There was another aggressive attempt to take in air.

"B-Bu…llets…p-po…is…oned…"

A violent jolt ran through her body, reaching down to her toes and through to her fingertips. The bartender felt herself grow cold, her hands gripping his shirt as if it was her only way out of this godforsaken mess.

Poison?

Was he for real?

 _Poison?!_

An eerie breeze splashed against them, sending another ominous chill down her spine.

" _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit."_ She gripped her hair, painfully tugging at her scalp as she looked around frantically. "What the fuck? That bitch, she – oh my god, she actually – oh my god, what do I do? Jesus Christ!"

Her heart was pounding against her ribs, sending anxious vibrations through her nerves and reaching down to the pit of her stomach. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. She wasn't a doctor. She didn't know jack shit about poison. There was no way she would be able to tell what kind of poison Rize shot him with. The symptoms she could pick up were too broad - trouble breathing, excessive sweating, obvious discomfort, and pain.

Those were the symptoms of basically every poison out there!

She felt her breath hitch upwards, another stroke of panic threatening to overflow.

She had to calm down. She had to breathe.

 _Think, Touka. You need to think._

Then quietly, like the dying wisps of fading embers, an image came to mind: an innocent smile and the hand of a child gently grabbing her own.

 _Ayato._

Slowly, she felt herself relax, watching her breath hit the winter air like gentle puffs of smoke. She couldn't lose herself here. Right now her priority was to get some help and save this moron.

Why? She didn't know. Maybe it was just her sense of justice. She owed him for saving her life the other day after all. A bottle of wine wasn't enough for retribution.

"Kaneki," her voice was still and calm, her bangs shifting with the cool wind.

He slowly opened his eye, the dull gray iris peering into her orbs of deep violet.

"You're going to be okay." She whispered before carefully propping him up against the wall of a building to her left. "Stay here. Try not to move. I'm going to go and get help. You said your men was just up ahead, right? I'll be right back."

His lips parted as if he was trying to say something but nothing came out. He couldn't move, and this time, Touka saw a flash of genuine panic rush across his expression.

Was he that terrified of dying? The poison could be deadly. It would make sense for Rize to pull a dirty stunt like that.

She straightened her back then took off her jacket, softly placing it on him.

God, she felt like a mother.

"Don't die." She mumbled, feeling goosebumps pop up on her skin once the jacket left her hands.

Winter wasn't being kind to them, or was it still autumn? Damn, she was starting to lose track of the months now. She was going insane. She could almost laugh.

Then, with another glance at Kaneki, she took off.

But, Kaneki's lips were still parted when she left. His eye wide and full of anxiety as he watched her back disappear into the distance.

"N-No…" he gave another cough, the world spinning aggressively.

It wasn't the pain getting to him. Pain was something he could handle more than anything else, but there was a sickening feeling of nausea gurgling within his stomach. His vision was blurring, the artificial lights blending together to form a cauldron of muted and bright colors. His limbs were refusing to move; it was as if gravity was against them, suffocating them with immeasurable strength.

"T-T…ou…ka…" he tried again, his voice cracking and crumbling against the cold.

It was no use. He knew that, but he had to stop her.

Something was wrong.

He should've realized it sooner.

Why did Rize switch the bullets to poisoned ones when she shot him? She could've just stuck with regular bullets.

No, before that, how did she go down so easily? The Rize he knew rarely ever lost. Ever.

So why-?

A thunderous strike of dread slammed against the mafia leader, realization finally grabbing him by the ear.

She lost _deliberately._

Another dry cough crept up his throat, his vision only failing him. But, even with the blurred outlines of numerous buildings and the kaleidoscope of various colors, Kaneki could make out a single figure looming over him.

"My, my," a familiar voice giggled. "What a shame. Down so soon? Well, it's to be expected. Those bullets were practically _drenched_ in my special serum after all."

Kaneki felt his teeth grind together.

"Ri…ze…" he choked, anger evident in his tone.

"Shhhh," she smiled, lightly taking his chin in her hand and forcing him to look up at her. "Don't push yourself. I'm surprised you're not dead, though. One bullet should've been enough to make you pass out from the pain. But you were hit with three so, you should've died from the pain alone; forget about the poison!" she trailed off, examining his face with a delighted grin. "I guess I underestimated your pain tolerance, hm?"

She let another giggle fly with the breeze.

"So?" she suddenly whispered, her voice low and trembling with anticipation.

This time she grabbed him by his hair, jerking his head back with a violent pull. Kaneki suppressed the urge to vomit.

"Where is she?" she hummed, glancing at the jacket that Touka had left behind. "Did she go and try to get help? Oh no, no, no. If she did then that's going to be a problem."

Kaneki watched as the world only started spinning faster.

"After all," she giggled, licking her lips playfully. "My men have this place surrounded. My orders? To take in a purple haired girl in a bartender uniform and to kill any witnesses."

She caught it, that faint look of horror and alarm flickering across his face. The look that was _absolutely delicious._

"Now, why don't you stay here and bleed to death? Hm, but then again, killing you might give me more enemies. But then again, you _are_ my greatest obstacle at the moment." She tilted her head, tapping her chin with false contemplation. "What to do, what to do…"

* * *

Touka's lungs were practically burning.

She's been running for a while now without even taking a moment to catch her breath. And yet, there were no signs of life.

He said that the members of his stupid group were just up ahead, so why weren't they?! What the hell?!

But something else was bothering her. It wasn't just mafia members that were missing. The entire region that Touka was in was like a ghost town. It wasn't that late. There should've been at least a few people walking around, right? And it was the city, as a matter of fact, a place where human beings practically flourished. No matter how late it was, there would always be someone driving or walking around aimlessly.

So why in God's name were there no signs of human life?!

She finally stopped, her legs numb and throbbing, her chest pounding and aching, and her face frozen and flushed. Panting, the bartender's eyes darted around the area.

It was quiet.

Only the sounds of distant cars and police sirens could be heard, which meant it wasn't the city itself that became a ghost town. It was only this part of the city. _Her_ part of the city.

She stared at the ground, the streetlight above her buzzing lowly. She stared at the grooves of the sidewalk, listening intently. Then she stared at a peculiar shadow in front of her, a shadow that was gradually stretching further and further and further…

Instantly, she twisted her body to the right, lashing out her leg and watching her heel come into contact with someone's jaw. A disgusting crack tore through the atmosphere and the man fell to the floor, moaning and writhing in pain. The metallic clatter of a knife resounded, the weapon falling beside him. His hands were wrapped around his mouth with blood trickling down his cheek.

Touka could only sprint away.

"Not good, not good, not good!" she ran down the street, the stinging cold biting into her cheeks and nose. "Fuck, fuck, fuck! Who was that?! Shit, shit, shit!"

The booming crack of a gunshot and the sudden burst of pain that tore through her leg was enough to send a scream flying from her lips. She fell to her knees, blood gushing through her fingers as she gripped her thigh.

 _No, no, no, no, no, no._

She looked over her shoulder, the air suddenly becoming harder to take in. There was more than one person with a gun. There were a group of ten people, some carrying knives and others carrying rope. And they were all running towards her – sprinting even – at full speed, malicious smiles twisting their lips.

"Get up!" Touka hissed, wincing as she dug her nails into the street, trying to push herself to stand. "Up! _Get up!_ Touka, goddammit, you need to GET UP!"

She didn't know what was happening, but it was obvious that it wasn't something good. She had to stand, she had to run, and she had to _get the fuck out of there._

But the pain was too much, and they got her in the leg, too. She could practically feel her muscles snapping against the pressure, and she could feel her blood gurgling down onto the floor like a crimson waterfall.

She looked back again. They were only a few feet away from her now, but she sensed something else other than anticipation and thrill. Their movements also had a weird layer of fear.

"Quickly!" one of them whispered. "Tie her up!"

She scanned their clothes, blinking in confusion at the fresh blood that was splattered across their attire.

"Hurry!" Another voice piped, but his tone was basically dripping with dread, a wild and desperate look painting his features. "Before he comes!"

Touka stared at them. She blinked, then she blinked again.

A scream of anguish suddenly pierced the thick blanket of muffled quiet, and the gruesome sound of flesh being ripped apart wrenched Touka away from her confusion, bringing her a wave of terror instead. Flesh was being torn and shredded, blood spattering against Touka and the pavement around her. A human hand flew past her ear, and for a moment, it looked like it was raining mutilated corpses.

A severed head rolled into her knee, its lifeless eyes peering into her as if it was staring at something beyond her, something that she couldn't comprehend. She looked up, and there in the middle of the puddle of blood and intestines, was a man.

She didn't move, and she wasn't sure if she was relieved or horrified because it was someone she knew but something was off, something was unnatural.

The man was smiling.

"Tsu-" she whispered. "Tsukiyama…?"

His suit was dyed in the pulsing color of crimson, his once lilac hair now soaked in the same color. He was drenched head to toe with blood, and there was something in his eyes that Touka couldn't quite pinpoint.

There was a peculiar glint in his eye - a murderous glint of insanity.

"Touka," he said, his voice hushed and almost singsong. "Are you alright?"

Her throat was now parched, her tongue suddenly feeling like sandpaper. It was getting even harder to breathe. Her thigh was now caked with dried blood, her fingers stuck to her leg like glue.

"Y-Yeah," she breathed. "I-I'm…I'm fine…I just…"

She gave a dry gasp for air then lurched forward, spilling the contents of her stomach out onto the pavement. Heaving, she pressed the palm of her right hand against her mouth, shivering out of fear and nausea.

But Tsukiyama didn't look too concerned. In fact, he wasn't even looking at her. He was instead, keeping his focus on the area behind her.

"Where is my leader?" he smiled gently. "Where's Kaneki?"

Stray blood dripped down from the cuffs of his sleeve, Touka's eyes following its path and watching it melt onto the floor.

She paused.

"FUCK!" she stood up instantly before stumbling forward, wincing at the sudden pain. " _KANEKI!_ "

She forgot about him! Fucking hell, she forgot about him!

She was such an idiot! How the hell could she forget about a poisoned, injured piece of-!

"Over there!" she snapped, pointing frantically in the direction she came from. "He's over there! Just keep going straight and-!"

The bartender let out a gasp of surprise as a hand grabbed her by the wrist, jerking her forward. Tsukiyama quickly hoisted her up onto his back, his usual charismatic smile still tugging at his lips, but that sinister glare in his eyes didn't fade.

She shivered, his suit pressing against her stomach and chest causing fresh blood to soak through her shirt.

This guy was a monster.

"I can't leave you here alone." He chuckled, but there was a citric edge to his voice. "It seems you are the main target. Rize's men are-"

"Tsukiyama," Touka cut in immediately.

Something about her tone made the man raise a brow. Her eyes were wide with fear, a haunting look of unease sinking into her expression.

She gripped his shoulders, "Kaneki is poisoned. We need to go _now_!"

Tsukiyama simply smiled.

And, Touka suddenly feared for her life.


End file.
